Returning to the Essence of Healthcare: How Meiview Dental Navigates the Overcrowded Oral Care Market in the New Consumer Era

During the summer vacation, demand in China’s dental industry has surged, with related clinics bustling with patients at all times.The key factor behind this is, of course, the rapidly growing market demand for China’s oral healthcare industry., taking dental caries in children as an example, the results of the Fourth National Oral Health Epidemiological Survey show that the prevalence of dental caries in primary teeth among 5-year-old children in China was 70.9%, an increase of 5.8 percentage points compared to ten years ago. Additionally, the prevalence of dental caries in permanent teeth among 12-year-old children was 34.5%, an increase of 7.8 percentage points compared to ten years ago.

Coupled with innovations in dental services driven by technological iterations in recent years and a comprehensive societal improvement in awareness of oral health, the coverage of dental medical services in China is expanding at an accelerating pace, continuously unlocking market potential. The market size had already reached RMB 145 billion in 2021, andExpected to surpass the 300 billion mark in 2025。

However, the faster the market grows, the more prominent the problems in the oral care industry become, mainly due toService-side deficiencies, including low consultation efficiency, inconsistent treatment quality, and inadequate patient comfort, resulting from the insufficient supply of dental healthcare resources. Particularly against the current backdrop of nationwide health awareness and the new consumption era, these industry constraints are becoming increasingly pronounced; therefore, addressing these issues effectively at this stage is of particular importance.

To this end, VCBeat andMs. Zhu Liya, Founding Partner and CEO of MEI WEI DENTAL GROUPA in-depth conversation was conducted, aiming to leverage MEI WEI DENTAL GROUP’s accumulated expertise in the dental field and its future strategy to identify key solutions for upgrading dental medical services in the new era of consumerism.

In recent years, oral healthcare has undoubtedly become one of the most closely watched niche sectors in the medical field. Taking the primary market as an example, according to incomplete statistics from the Artery Orange database,From 2020 to 2022, nearly 200 financing deals were completed in China’s dental sector, with the total amount exceeding RMB 15 billion.. As we entered 2023, investment enthusiasm in the dental sector continued. By July, a total of 35 financing rounds had been completed in the field, including a strategic financing round completed by MEI WEI DENTAL GROUP at the end of June.

As the market expands rapidly, the dental sector is also navigating into deeper waters, with intensifying competition within the industry and a gradual erosion of market and capital dividends. Consequently, amid these new industry dynamics, the entire dental market is increasingly returning to the essence of medical services, placing greater emphasis on patient needs and experience.

Specifically, due to the significant gap between supply and demand in China's oral healthcare sector,The number of dentists (including assistant dentists) per 10,000 people is only 1.99., resulting in generally low clinical efficiency. Based on this,Digitization undoubtedly offers an excellent solution to the “crowded” dental services sector., taking intraoral scanning—the most frequently applied scenario—as an example, the integration of digital technologies not only significantly improves detection efficiency but also enables dentists to comprehensively assess patients’ oral conditions, thereby preventing the exacerbation of oral health issues due to overlooked findings.

However, beyond empowering diagnostic and treatment equipment, digital technology is also reflected in the management of dental clinics. As the first dental chain enterprise in the industry to possess a self-developed digital system, MEI WEI DENTAL GROUP has created“WeiXiaoMei Medical Cloud Intelligent Platform”, this is an information system centered on enhancing management and operational efficiency, encompassing systems such as HIS, finance, supply chain, human resources, and OA. It not only meets the needs of refined enterprise management but also comprehensively supports business coordination and data sharing across multiple organizations.

In Julia’s view,Digital technology brings epoch-making value to the dental industry, making the entire diagnosis and treatment process not only more efficient but also safer, simpler, and minimally invasive.Innovation。

However, the improvement in consultation efficiency is only one aspect; in the field of dentistry,Returning to the essence of medical services also includes comfortable diagnosis and treatment.According to Julia, the "pain" associated with dental procedures actually deters a significant portion of patients. This deterrent effect is particularly pronounced among children with substantial dental care needs, as pain reduces their cooperation, thereby prolonging the treatment process and often leading to suboptimal outcomes.

To this end, MEI WEI DENTAL GROUP is actively promotingComfortable Diagnosis and Treatment with Intravenous Anesthesia, which not only ensures that patients remain pain-free throughout the entire treatment process but also features electrocardiographic monitoring equipment with an anesthesiologist present throughout the procedure. This is of significant value for elderly patients with systemic diseases.

Meanwhile, to provide patients with a better clinical experience, MEI WEI DENTAL GROUP has been prioritizing the enhancement of its medical workforce in recent years. It has not only collaborated with universities to implement talent development programs for dentists but also organized multiple thematic activities focused on training young dental practitioners, as well as holding annual events“MEI WEI DENTAL CASE COMPETITION”, It is reported that the competition is held annually, aiming to enable physicians to draw energy and nutrients for their professional growth through continuous practice and experience, and to flexibly apply them in clinical diagnosis and treatment.

Julia mentioned,“Upholding the primacy of medical essence and putting patients first has always been MEI WEI DENTAL GROUP’s original aspiration.”, and under this original aspiration, it is in fact MEI WEI DENTAL GROUP’s unwavering commitment to continuously standardize and enhance physicians’ professional technical capabilities, optimize its talent reservoir, strengthen the development of medical quality, and ensure healthcare quality and safety.”

The dental industry has long been regarded as “high-end healthcare,” primarily due to its high costs. According to current market trends, clear aligner orthodontics typically ranges from RMB 20,000–30,000 at the lower end to RMB 40,000–50,000 or more; a single dental implant generally costs around RMB 10,000; and root canal treatment combined with a crown can amount to several thousand yuan. Consequently, it is quite common for a significant proportion of patients to spend tens of thousands of yuan on dental care in a single course of treatment.

The core reasons behind this include supply-side shortages and the fact that many current dental equipment and materials still rely heavily on imports. Taking dental implants as an example, most materials available on the market originate from countries such as Israel, South Korea, the United States, Germany, and Switzerland, resulting in generally high overall prices.

However, these are all external factors.The most critical factor behind the "high cost of dental care" is the lack of primary dental care services in China.. Julia remarked on this, “Although public awareness of oral health has gradually improved in today’s society, the situation remains concerning due to insufficient understanding of oral health and the lack of primary-level dental care services, which has also led toMany patients only seek treatment at dental clinics when the pain becomes unbearable. By that stage, oral health issues are often more numerous and severe., it may evolve from initially requiring only simple fillings to necessitating dental implants, causing both time and costs to rise sharply.”

To this end, MEI WEI DENTAL GROUP proposed“Mass-Market Treatment”the concept of, namelyClose to the People, Meeting the Oral Health Needs of Grassroots Communities, such as restoring a carious tooth, performing thorough dental cleanings for adult patients at every visit, and even teaching them proper brushing and oral hygiene techniques. Although the cost per individual service is not high, the volume is staggering. Taking adult periodontal disease as an example, according to survey data from 2020,Over 90% of adults in China suffer from periodontal disease to varying degrees, with enormous market potential.

Meanwhile, by focusing on grassroots oral health, MEI WEI DENTAL GROUP can not only achieve denser population coverage in the dental field but also leverage this as an opportunity toProvide Comprehensive, End-to-End Dental Services to More Patients, in order to“Wei Xiaomei Medical Cloud Intelligent Management Platform”By leveraging this as a key driver, we closely address oral health issues across all stages of the patient’s lifecycle. Detailed personalized information, including treatment records and personal preferences, is entered into the system to work in synergy with an intelligent diagnosis and treatment platform, delivering a professional, convenient, comfortable, and warm service experience for patients.

In fact, MEI WEI DENTAL GROUP proposed a new concept this year, namely“Discovering the Blue of Everything”Here, “blue” refers to all oral health issues in the patient’s mouth, including dental caries, periodontal disease, and more. MEI WEI DENTAL GROUP then leverages digital devices and platforms to continuously monitor these “blue” issues over a period that may span 5, 10, or even 20 years, gradually eliminating them from the patient’s oral cavity.

As previously mentioned, as the dental industry continues to deepen its development, internal competition has begun to intensify, and market dividends are gradually fading. Therefore, at present, dental practitioners should be more patient and focus on delivering fundamental services with dedication. Zhu Liya strongly agrees with this view, stating,The Oral Care Industry Must Adhere to “Long-Termism”。

So, how is this defined?

First, we must focus on the grassroots level and continuously uncover patients’ genuine needs regarding oral health.. Julia mentioned in the interview,The advancement of the entire oral healthcare industry is inseparable from the continuous drive of patient demand., for instance, while people previously focused solely on the ultimate outcomes of diagnosis and treatment, they now demand greater efficiency and comfort during dental procedures, a shift that is driving a new round of revolution in the dental industry.

Secondly, to provide patients with end-to-end dental services, thereby forming a closed-loop service ecosystem.Currently, against the backdrop of the era of universal health, it is becoming increasingly critical to establish continuous oral healthcare services for a broader patient population. This is reflected in a comprehensive service loop that spans from initial consultation and treatment to follow-up visits and re-examinations, extending to patients’ families and social circles. The process encompasses thorough examination and diagnosis, addressing chief complaints, developing integrated treatment plans, implementing long-term oral health management, and ensuring post-treatment satisfaction. Through such a closed-loop service model, true lifecycle management of patients’ oral health can be achieved.

Under such a “service closed-loop,” not only can oral health be significantly improved for a larger population, but substantial unnecessary time and financial investments can also be reduced. Furthermore, public awareness of oral health will be comprehensively enhanced.

Finally, the long-term professional identity of dental practitioners within the industry. Since its inception, MEI WEI DENTAL GROUP has proposed“MEI WEI Star Program”, now upgraded to version 3.0, aims to create a dual-engine drive model of “legacy + new.” On one hand, it seeks to foster partners’ sense of ownership and, through empowerment, enable their greater participation in major decision-making, instilling in them a sense of responsibility and enthusiasm for leading by example. On the other hand, it outlines career advancement pathways for partners, establishes a competency-based rapid promotion mechanism, cultivates “star” partners, and builds a robust and reliable talent pipeline by inheriting and reinforcing the team’s excellent qualities, thereby providing capability reserves for the Group’s sustainable development.

The fundamental purpose of deeply binding “partners” is that the current domestic dental industry is highly competitive; if managers cannot go all in and lack the commitment to remain on the front lines for the long term, it is difficult to achieve success. Furthermore,Oral healthcare services are not one-off transactions; in terms of patient experience, they constitute a long-term process., if patients subsequently experience discomfort or perceive the treatment outcomes as unsatisfactory, they will inevitably seek higher-quality dental services, which is closely tied to managers’ adherence to long-termism.

To better empower this cohort of “long-termists,” MEI WEI DENTAL GROUP, drawing on its profound industry insights and extensive experience in patient care, has pioneered an incubation model centered on organizational management development, supported by three pillars: the Group Medical Management Committee, the Business Unit Medical Management Team, and the Outpatient Clinic Medical Management Team.Dynamic Three-Tier Medical Management System, thereby comprehensively enhancing the lean management capabilities of medical teams and driving a comprehensive upgrade of diagnostic and treatment services.

In recent years, the rapid development of the dental industry has been evident to all. Driven by substantial market demand, this momentum is expected to continue in the future. However, as the industry ventures into deeper and more complex territories, enhancing the quality of medical services has become a critical issue for the entire sector, giving rise to the current major trend of returning to the essence of healthcare services. Under this trend, the dental industry is actually being propelled toward full-chain service integration, aiming not only to reach a broader population but also to provide patients with more comprehensive and comfortable dental care.