IDSO Empowers Dental Clinic Managers: China's First Dental Industry Management Forum Successfully Concludes

Currently, the dental industry is experiencing rapid development. Shifts in consumer attitudes and spending habits have brought a wave of both opportunities and challenges to the sector. As consumer expectations continue to rise, dental practitioners must enhance their clinical expertise, and dental clinics must improve their service quality. This trend presents an opportunity but also poses a significant challenge to all clinic managers. Dental clinic management in China has moved beyond the era of extensive,粗放式 (rough) operations and is transitioning toward refined, meticulous management. Operators adhering to outdated models are increasingly being eliminated by market forces. Therefore, service upgrades and managerial transformation have become critical issues that all dental clinic managers must address.

The IDSO Dental Industry Management Forum, hosted by the IDSO Dental Alliance, was successfully held on November 4–5, 2020, in the Qunxian Ballroom on the third floor of the China World Summit Wing in Beijing. As the first dental clinic management service support organization in China, the Alliance’s hosting of this forum marked a significant upgrade and breakthrough. Adhering to the philosophy of promoting sustainable development in the oral health industry, the forum empowered dental clinic managers by sharing high-quality, advanced management expertise and concepts. This event also stood as the first management-focused forum dedicated to China’s oral health industry.

At this forum, IDSO invited numerous executives from leading domestic dental chain groups, as well as distinguished industry leaders, experts, and scholars, to attend and share their insights. Focusing on the current national context and market trends in dentistry, and integrating real-world clinic operational practices, the event provided guidance on emerging directions for future dental clinic management. The forum garnered the support of over 1,000 dental clinic managers from across China and concluded successfully amidst vigorous discussions.

Guest: Zhou Nanzheng, Chief Operating Consultant at S.T.M. Xianglan

On the morning of November 4, Mr. Zhou Nanzheng, Chief Operating Consultant at S.T.M. Xianglan, delivered a presentation titled “Industrial Economic Map and Strategy for Dental Chain Service Industry.” Using the metaphor of “nurturing trees” to illustrate “enterprise management,” he provided attendees with a detailed interpretation of S.T.M.’s Three-Dimensional Life modern business philosophy.

The 2.0 Era of the Dental Industry Has Arrived: Refined Management Is Not Only a Demand of the Times but Also an Imperative for the Survival of Every Clinic Manager. Mr. Zhou Nanzheng points out that the dental industry is a “loosely structured service sector,” and we must adopt a long-term perspective to drive the sustainable development of the entire industry.

Mastering one's own internal energy is the most important thing!

Dr. Ma Chunmin, Chairman of Happy Oral Care Medical Group, stated: “To enhance one’s influence and boost patient trust, strengthening internal capabilities is the top priority. ‘Focusing on building strong internal capabilities is most important. No industry lacks diligent individuals; therefore, innovation—innovation, innovation, innovation—is key to standing out.’”

Strengthening internal capabilities begins with cultivating the internal team. Regarding whether professionalism or character should be prioritized in personnel selection, Dean Ma shared relevant insights based on his personal experiences. He also proposed the concept of “three diseases and two technologies,” highlighting the importance of doctor-patient communication.

Guest: Dr. Ma Chunmin, Chairman of the Board of Huale Oral Healthcare Group

IDSO’s outpatient service system is firmly rooted in customer needs, upon which a corresponding service framework has been established. The significance of doctor-patient communication lies in aligning with customers’ genuine needs—namely, their fundamental underlying needs—to instill oral health awareness in the minds of all Chinese citizens. This approach ensures that dental prophylaxis is perceived not merely as the removal of surface plaque, but leverages comprehensive oral health education (“a full set of teeth”) to drive individualized treatment consumption (“a single tooth”).

During the [Salon] session on the afternoon of the 4th, Mr. Zou Qifang, Founder and President of Arrail Group; Mr. Zhu Zhenghong, CEO of Taikang Bybo Dental Medical Group; Dr. Ma Chunmin, Founder of Happy Oral Care Medical Group; Mr. Ji Xinjiang, Chairman of Henglun Dental Medical Group; and Mr. Shao Zongzong, Chairman of Malo Clinic (China), jointly explored and shared insights on two key topics: refined outpatient management and high-end brand building. The executives unanimously agreed that “the dental industry is a sunrise industry with a promising future. By laying a solid foundation and diligently implementing refined outpatient management, social recognition will naturally follow.”

Guest: Zou Qifang, Founder and President of Arrail Group (Second from the right）

Guest: Zhu Zhenghong (third from left), CEO of Taikang Bybo Dental Medical Group

Guest: Ma Chunmin (far left), Founder of Huanle Oral Care Group

Guest: Ji Xinjiang (second from left), Chairman of Henglun Dental Medical Group

Guest: Shao Zongzong (far right), Chairman of Malong Dental (China)

As one of the first dentists in China to establish a private dental clinic, Dr. Jia Yuhong, Founder of Shandong Yuhong Dental Medical Group, brings nearly two decades of experience in dental clinic management. Under his leadership, Yuhong Dental has become a leading clinic in southwestern Shandong Province. On the topic of standardized clinic management, Dr. Jia shared insights on “How Standardized Service Processes Build Trust in Dental Clinics.”

President Jia proposed that to operate an outpatient clinic, one must first build trust with patients through high-quality services, and then establish a business model for clinic management, thereby facilitating the transition from a single clinic to a multi-clinic dental chain.

During this period, President Jia also used actual outpatient operational data to demonstrate the changes in the “three rates”—namely, consultation rate, follow-up visit rate, and conversion rate—after implementing the standardized outpatient service process provided by IDSO. President Jia emphasized that it is essential to start from patients’ needs and provide them with customized services.

Guest: Jia Yuhong, Founder of Shandong Yuhong Dental Medical Group (Member of the IDSO Dental Alliance)

At the opening of the forum on the 5th, Mr. Lin Gongyao, General Manager of iTero China, shared insights on the topic of digital dentistry, highlighting the importance of the Invisalign intraoral scanner in doctor-patient communication. Mr. Lin stated that the Invisalign intraoral scanner is not merely a scanning device, but also an effective tool that facilitates doctor-patient communication and thereby boosts patient acquisition for dental practices. He emphasized that high-quality tools for doctor-patient communication serve as accelerators in building trust with patients. Therefore, leveraging digital tools to provide more refined and personalized services to patients is an imperative that the entire industry must consider and implement.

Guest: Lin Gongyao, General Manager of iTero China

Nowadays, the dental market is beginning to show a "red ocean" trend. There are more and more general clinics for customers to choose from, but the homogenization of clinics has also made it difficult for customers to make choices. Therefore, more patients are starting to choose more specific and professional specialty clinics with distinctive features.

Guest: Ms. Zhang Yuhuan, General Manager of Goodray Dental in Beijing

Ms. Zhang Yuhuan, General Manager of Goodray Dental’s Beijing Region, delivered a keynote speech titled “Operations and Patient Management Systems for Specialized Orthodontic Clinics.” She addressed team building, compensation structures, and incentive mechanisms within specialized orthodontic practices. During the segment on patient management systems, Ms. Zhang used real-world clinic service cases to demonstrate the team management model employed in specialized orthodontic clinics: a structure comprising Primary Assistants, Secondary Assistants, and Client Managers. This approach provides patients with refined, customized services, builds long-term trust, and delivers superior patient experiences, thereby achieving efficient C-B-A-C conversion.

Out-of-clinic marketing is part of the patient acquisition strategy for dental clinics under the IDSO Dental Alliance. This term was first coined and implemented by the IDSO Dental Alliance, and its journey from obscurity to widespread recognition fully demonstrates the efficiency and applicability of the IDSO clinic management model.

“External Marketing Customer Acquisition Strategies for Clinics: From Zero to Maturity.” Here, “external marketing” refers to drawing patients from outside the clinic through its doors, thereby generating patient traffic. “From zero” pertains to existing clinics without an established marketing system, as well as nascent clinics still in the site selection and planning phase. So, what constitutes “maturity”?

Guest: Dong Ya, Deputy General Manager of Happy Dental Medical Group

Dong Ya, Deputy General Manager of Happy Dentistry Medical Group and a seasoned marketing expert, has led her team to drive an average annual increase of 50% in new patient visits for the group. She asserts that “outreach marketing for dental clinics is never about individual prowess, but rather a team effort; it is never fought bare-handed, but with top-tier equipment; and it never follows a single narrow path, but instead employs a comprehensive, multi-channel strategy across all fronts.”

At this IDSO Dental Industry Management Forum, Ms. Dong Ya also shared her practical strategies with her colleagues present.

The second themed salon of this forum, “How to Implement Refined Management in Dental Outpatient Clinics,” featured IDSO inviting founder representatives from member units of the alliance, as well as Mr. Shi Kaolong, President of the Private Practice Branch of the Guangdong Stomatological Association, to share their practical experience.

Mr. Shi Kaolong, President of the Private Practice Branch of the Guangdong Stomatological Association, focused on the dental market dynamics in first-tier cities, the current operational status of dental clinics, and the future development trends of the dental industry. He stated that the dental industry will continue to exhibit an upward trajectory, management methodologies must not remain stagnant, and upgrading management practices is both an industry imperative and an inevitable requirement of the times.

Guest: Mr. Shi Kaolong, President of the Private Practice Branch of the Guangdong Stomatological Association

Dean Lei Hong, founder of Shanxi Lei Hong Dental Clinic, has accumulated nearly 20 years of experience in clinic management. Drawing on actual operational data, Dr. Lei shared the clinic’s effective explorations in refined management of dental practices. After joining the IDSO Dental Alliance, the clinic leveraged IDSO’s external marketing strategies and integrated platforms such as Dianping to achieve efficient patient acquisition.

Guest: Dr. Lei Hong, Founder of Shanxi Leihong Dental Clinic (Member of the IDSO Dental Alliance)

Zhang Wenwei, Chairman of Jiangsu Xiehe Medical Investment Co., Ltd. and Founder of Jiangsu Xiehe Dental, shared his insights on the future development of the dental industry, as well as his perspectives on digital dentistry and refined clinic management. As an “outsider” who crossed over into opening clinics, Mr. Zhang is also a seasoned investor in the healthcare sector. Speaking from a strategic perspective as a corporate executive, he emphasized that while staying grounded, one must also look ahead. He believes that digitalization will undoubtedly have a greater impact on the industry in the future, and therefore, dental clinic managers should maintain a forward-looking vision.

Guest: Zhang Wenwei, Chairman of Jiangsu Xiehe Medical Investment Co., Ltd. and Founder of Jiangsu Xiehe Dental (Member of the IDSO Dental Alliance)

Ms. Zhang Xiaohong, General Manager of Qinhuangdao Ruige Chain Dental, shared practical experiences with fellow dental professionals present. In terms of refined clinic management, Ruige Dental pioneered the meticulous design of dental products. By integrating the in-clinic marketing service system and philosophy provided by IDSO, they developed high-retention, high-conversion dental products to achieve “family-style” patient conversion.

Guest: Zhang Xiaohong, General Manager of Ruige Chain Dental (Member of the IDSO Dental Alliance)

Dean Zhang Aijuan, founder of the Chengde Aijuan Chain Dental Clinics, is also a pioneer among dentists who transitioned into clinic ownership. She shared refined insights and recommendations for managers regarding key timing and critical control points in morning meeting management. During her presentation, Dean Zhang highlighted the “differences” observed at Aijuan Dental when implementing versus not implementing structured morning meetings, and discussed the managerial breakthroughs achieved after adopting the IDSO standardized morning meeting model compared with holding informal, simplified morning sessions.

Guest: Dean Zhang Aijuan, Founder of Chengde Aijuan Chain Dental Clinics (Member of the IDSO Dental Alliance)

Previously, decentralized management failed to foster the anticipated “unity of purpose.” Implementing standardized morning briefings to synchronize mindsets and outpatient-related matters in real time has enabled staff alignment, driving continuous improvement in outpatient services.

As the initiator and founder of the standardized outpatient management model, the IDSO Dental Alliance also aims to synchronize clinical practices, adopt a forward-looking perspective, leverage front-end thinking to envision the industry’s future, introduce advanced management concepts, and drive the entire sector forward!

Establishing private dental clinics has become a major trend in the dental industry. As a dentist with 15 years of experience in clinic management, Dr. Ji Hongjie, Founder of Henan Jiemei Dental Care Group, stated, “If Jiemei Dental had only one core product, I would say it is talent. Talent is the cornerstone of dental services. Cultivating dentists who can develop more and better clinical offerings should be a core commitment for every dental clinic.” Drawing on IDSO Clinic’s internal team tiered development system, Dr. Ji’s relaxed presentation style clearly conveyed his strong endorsement of this model.

Guest: Dr. Ji Hongjie, Founder of Henan Jiemei Stomatological Medical Group (Member of the IDSO Dental Alliance)

As a leading local dental chain, Jiemei Dental is highly trusted by the community. Under Dean Ji’s high-standard and refined management in talent development and team building, its multiple branches across Henan Province have all earned local trust and support. Therefore, Dean Ji’s sharing of practical outcomes serves as the most compelling validation of his expertise.

Guest: Wang Wenbo, Vice President of Shiji Changhe Group and Chief Architect of DSO Data Management

In the digital age, data is king. Mr. Wang Wenbo, Vice President of Shiji Changhe Group and Chief Data Management Engineer for Dental Service Organizations (DSOs), shared his unique and precise insights on data control in his presentation titled “IDSO Data Management System: A Powerful Tool for Dental Practice Management in the 4.0 Era.” Regarding the future development trends of the IDSO Data Management System, Mr. Wang pointed out that the online data management system currently being implemented by IDSO leverages data to accurately predict patient conditions. Furthermore, the integration of interconnected data streamlines management processes, making it a powerful tool for the future of dental practice management.

Guest: Li Jing, General Manager of Goodray Dental Wuhan Region

Li Jing, General Manager of Goodray Dental’s Wuhan Region, directly shared practical insights on the role of data in outpatient clinic management during the forum. Using real-world operational data from dental clinics, she provided an intuitive demonstration that digital dentistry extends far beyond medical care alone.

In the practical operational management of outpatient clinics, selecting the right personnel and resources is key to maintaining smooth operations. Dr. Jin Li, founder of the Shijiazhuang Hardi Meiya Chain Dental Clinic and one of the inaugural members of the IDSO Dental Alliance, shared her experience on retaining core staff. Drawing on the “Six Meridians Sword” theory, she highlighted practical strategies for retaining post-90s employees.

Guest: Jin Li, Founder of Hady Meiya Dental (Member of the IDSO Dental Alliance)

“Premium Products”: The selection of medical devices, dental chairs, and other equipment for dental clinics also significantly impacts patient acquisition and actual revenue. Ding Ning, Vice President of Happy Oral Care Group, posed the question: Does high price equate to high quality? What truly defines “good”? Only products that deliver excellent customer experience while maintaining low costs can be considered truly good.

Guest: Ding Ning, Vice President of Happy Oral Care Medical Group

IDSO’s supply chain system adheres to the principle of “strict selection,” carefully curating optimal products to accelerate outpatient revenue efficiency in both directions.

“If outpatient clinic managers focus solely on patients’ chief dental complaints, prioritizing the resolution of their immediate and explicit needs, the clinic will inevitably fail to achieve long-term sustainability and profitability. Only by addressing patients’ fundamental needs and orienting operations toward building long-term relationships can clinics maintain steady progress in the rapidly evolving oral healthcare market, thereby promoting the sustainable development of the entire dental industry.”

Sun Yan, Founder of the IDSO Dental Alliance

At the event, Dr. Sun Yan, referencing Patient C-B-A-C, proposed that middle-class families will become the primary consumer demographic in China’s future dental market. He emphasized building lifelong relationships with patients and leveraging word-of-mouth marketing to secure a steady stream of clients and revenue. The goal is to shift the patient mindset from seeking dental care merely for treatment to cultivating good oral hygiene habits. This represents the direction of future upgrading and transformation in China’s dental market, while IDSO will provide more clinics with convenient and efficient practice management solutions!

Dr. Sun Yan has repeatedly emphasized, “Investing more in patients is always the right choice!” This aligns precisely with Manager Zhang Yuhuan’s proposal: to transform the traditional “slow-and-steady” deal-closing model for Class A customers into a highly efficient and rapid customer acquisition model.

The “IDSO Dental Industry Management Forum” attracted dental practice managers from across China, with the packed venue underscoring the strong and growing demand among Chinese dental administrators for upgrades and transformation in clinic management. Going forward, IDSO will continue to host management forums, providing a broader platform for learning and exchange for more dental professionals.

Guided by the core values of “Integrity, Innovation, Customer First, Sharing, Perseverance, and Long-term Partnership”; driven by the mission to “enable 300 million Chinese people to develop the habit of regular dental care and ensure that ethical clinics receive their due recognition”; and aspiring to the vision of “persistently doing what is difficult yet right to become a globally leading provider of dental clinic services,” IDSO Dental Alliance warmly welcomes potential member clinics with a committed and diligent mindset. We are dedicated to helping each member clinic establish regional competitive advantages and promoting the sustainable development of the dental industry. This stands as the primary responsibility of China’s first dental clinic management service organization.