🦷 Your Teeth: A $2Bn Industry
Most Indians neglect their oral health issues. But DentalDost is helping remedy this, making India smile brighter.
Dental care in India has been largely restricted to brushing two times a day. “Kya aapke toothpaste mai namak hai?” is all that we care to ask.
But is this enough?
Well, we are one of the 5 worst countries when it comes to oral health. Very few of us actually care to go to the dentist. Not until things get worse.
Wondering why?
ReadOn!
India's Dental Problem
8 out of 10 children and 9 out of 10 adults have major oral health problems.
But only 12.4% of adults have ever visited a dentist.
What's worse is that India has an abundance of dentists.
Yes, the WHO recommends that we should have one dentist per 7,500 people. But we have one dentist per 5,000 people.
Yet, look at the irony. 75% of root canal treatments can be avoided if the problem was caught beforehand. Why is this happening?
People lack awareness, those in rural areas cannot find good clinics, and those who can, cannot afford dental treatments.
So, what can be done about this?
Well, don't you worry.
A Pune-based startup has come up with the answer to all your dental care problems.
DentalDost
DentalDost started its journey in 2018 when Dr. Vidhi Bhanushali and her husband Rajat Kabade realised the problems that we just mentioned.
They started the venture as a blog, attempting to educate people about good dental habits and the need for proper dental check-ups.
But they soon realised that just educating people would not be enough.
They would have to make dental care accessible.
So, DentalDost developed from just a blog to an AI-powered teledentist.
Woke up with a blinding toothache in the middle of the night?
DentalDost's 24x7 helpline is there for you.
All you need to do is download the DentalDost app, upload pictures of your teeth, and get an instant dental report, followed by free teleconsultation.
You can also get a video consultation for Rs. 199/call.
The qualified dentists on call or the company's highly trained AI model will tell you what your problem is. If needed, they will also connect you to the nearby dental clinics for an appointment to solve the issue.
But ReadOn, this doesn't solve the problem of affordability.
Well, the startup is also working on that.
It gives its users rewards points for preventative behaviour.
Yes, you get coins from DentalDost for brushing your teeth twice a day, something that you should be doing anyway.
You can redeem these coins during appointments, making your dentist visits a little cheaper.
What's more the company even plans to tie up with insurers to provide dental insurance, something that very few companies now provide.
This will make dental care way more affordable.
Okay, but is DentalDost's model viable? There are already so many dentists in India, what's the need for DentalDost?
Dental Market in India
Well, India may have an abundance of dentists, but the penetration of dental services in India is around 2%.
Plus, India's dental services market is worth $2 billion and is growing at a CAGR of 14% right now.
So, there is a lot of scope for growth.
But DentalDost does have a few competitors in this space like Toothsi, Vatsalya and MobiDent.
Most startups in this space are focusing on at-home smile alignment or braces but no one is working on the exact same model as DentalDost. And no one is leveraging like them. DentalDost won’t just stop at treatment. It also plans to develop customised oral care products for holistic care.
Want to dive deeper into the company? We are hosting an “Insider Insights” session with Dr. Vidhi Bhanushali and Rajat Kabade on 5 April, at 7 PM on Zoom (maybe you can get a chance to invest in the company as well!).
Share this with your friends via WhatsApp or Twitter and help them declutter news from noise! See you tomorrow :)
You can also listen to our stories because the Revolution ReadOn podcast is live!! Here: you can catch it on Spotify, Apple Podcast or Amazon Music, Google Podcasts, Gaana and Jio Saavn.
If you are coming here for the very first time: Don’t forget to join us on WhatsApp to get daily updates! 👇