Taikang BestSmile Unveils Brand Upgrade and Launches Five Dental Insurance Products Alongside Membership Services

Taikang ByBo Dental Brand Upgrade Launch Event Held in Beijing

VCBeat (WeChat: vcbeat) has learned that on December 21, the brand upgrade launch event for Taikang ByBo Dental, themed “New Model, New Collaboration, New Ecosystem,” was held in Beijing. ByBo Dental was officially renamed Taikang ByBo Dental, and five dental insurance products were released, aiming to enhance brand value through a new business model of “Insurance + Healthcare.”

At the conference, attendees discussed the development and transformation of non-public healthcare, strategies for specialized chain operations, and the opportunities and challenges presented by the “Kaiser model” in China’s dental industry.

Driven by the implementation of the national “Healthy China” strategy, the rise of the middle class, and consumption upgrades, an increasing number of people are prioritizing health investment. Oral health has become a vital component of modern quality of life, fueling rapid growth in the dental industry and giving rise to diverse new business models.

Data shows that in 2017, the market size of China's oral care industry exceeded RMB 85 billion, with per capita healthcare expenditure doubling compared to a decade earlier. Alongside economic development, growing public awareness of oral health has continued to unlock latent demand, making oral care consumption a new hotspot in consumer spending.

In June this year, Taikang Insurance Group made a strategic investment in ByBo Dental, providing comprehensive empowerment in terms of capital, customers, brand, and products. Taikang ByBo Dental has undergone a comprehensive upgrade across four key dimensions: medical quality, experts, service, and insurance payment, marking the official launch of its new brand. Nearly 500 outstanding dentists have joined Taikang ByBo Dental, with the proportion of master’s degree holders increasing by 4% and that of doctoral degree holders by 1.5%. The volume of initial patient visits rose by 30%, revenue exceeded RMB 1.8 billion, and an information management system covering more than 50 cities nationwide was launched.

At the press conference, Liu Tingjun, Vice President of Taikang Insurance Group, CEO of Taikang Health Industry Investment Holdings Co., Ltd., and Chairman of Taikang ByBo Dental, articulated the upgraded brand vision and positioning. Taikang ByBo Dental is committed to providing high-quality dental medical and health services to mid-to-high-end clientele, pursuing an exceptional customer experience, and leveraging the “Kaiser model” to build China’s leading premium dental chain group.

“The Kaiser Model” is synonymous with “insurance + healthcare.” Customers become members of the Kaiser Permanente medical group by purchasing insurance plans. When seeking medical care, they only need to bear a small portion of the costs based on the type of illness, while the remaining expenses are covered by the insurance company. Members enjoy different levels of healthcare services according to their purchased insurance plans. The “Kaiser Model,” which integrates health insurance, hospitals, and physicians into a unified system, has reduced consumers’ medical expenses by nearly 20%.

“Creating a closed loop between medical insurance and healthcare services helps reduce medical costs,” said Chen Dongsheng, Chairman and CEO of Taikang Insurance Group. By integrating dental insurance products with medical services, Taikang has greatly enhanced convenience for its customers, enabling them to access higher-quality and more affordable products and services. The company’s active exploration of the “Kaiser Model” in the specialized field of dentistry represents a significant innovation for Taikang.

According to the "Third National Oral Health Epidemiological Survey," the prevalence of oral diseases in China exceeds 90%, yet the treatment rate stands at only 10%. As the majority of dental care expenses are not covered by basic medical insurance, people’s willingness to seek oral treatment and maintain oral health has been significantly reduced.

Against this backdrop, ByBo Oral Medical Group, in partnership with Taikang Online, has launched the E-Chi Kang dental insurance products in adult, children’s, and inclusive versions. These products comprehensively cover preventive care, emergency dental treatment, and comprehensive dental services. Specialized coverage for dental implant and orthodontic treatments will soon be introduced to better meet customers’ oral healthcare needs. The launch of these dental insurance products marks the first step for Taikang Insurance Group in exploring the “health insurance + healthcare” model.

At this press conference, Taikang ByBo Dental unveiled its oral healthcare service products and entered into strategic agreements with corporate clients such as Industrial and Commercial Bank of China (ICBC) and KaVo China.

This product provides group clients with comprehensive, full-cycle, and all-around oral health management services, including oral health education, preventive care, treatment of oral diseases, and daily oral maintenance.

““Currently, most dental medical services in China are billed on a fee-for-service basis. Taikang ByBo Dental has introduced a per-capita annual payment model, which prevents excessive examinations and treatments at the source, reduces medical waste, and encourages dentists to proactively engage in patients’ health management. This approach achieves the dual objectives of controlling healthcare costs and delivering high-quality medical services, thereby driving ‘value-based care’ in the dental industry,” said Zhu Zhenghong, Vice President of Taikang Health Industry Investment Holdings Co., Ltd. and CEO of Taikang ByBo Dental.

ByBo Oral, a subsidiary of Taikang, delivers full-cycle oral healthcare management services to corporate groups via an accessible “fast track,” thereby meeting enterprises’ needs to demonstrate care for their clients and employees’ health.

As a healthcare service provider, medical quality and safety are the fundamental principles we must always uphold. ByBo Oral Medical Group strives to build a high-quality, safer, and comprehensive healthcare service system, delivering premium dental care to patients through rigorous medical risk prevention and daily monitoring and management of medical quality.

While continuously optimizing its team of dentists, ByBo Oral Medical Group has also established an international dental expert team composed of specialists from the United States, South Korea, Europe, and other regions. These international experts possess professional overseas medical education backgrounds and extensive international clinical experience, enabling them to provide clients with globally standardized oral healthcare services.

For every customer who visits ByBo Oral Medical Group, from consultation and treatment to departure, our doctors focus not only on oral diseases but also view each customer as a whole. We patiently listen to patients' concerns and provide the most appropriate diagnosis and treatment plans using our professional knowledge and skills.

Chen Dongsheng, Chairman and CEO of Taikang Insurance Group, stated, “We must establish a management philosophy centered on ‘customer-centricity,’ with ‘quality as king and experience paramount,’ to provide every customer with health services that are professional, safe, compassionate, and deliver an exceptional experience. Taikang will always align with the trends of the times and the tangible needs of the people, focusing on its core business and expertise to build an ecosystem for the big health industry.”