32teeth Partners with ZhongAn Insurance to Launch 'Zero Cavities Challenge' Plan with Coverage up to RMB 5,100

As living standards improve, oral health is garnering increasing attention from the general public. However, oral healthcare in China remains stuck in a reactive phase characterized by “emphasizing treatment while neglecting prevention,” where individuals typically seek care only when experiencing pain. A major challenge currently facing China’s dental industry is how to cultivate public awareness of oral protection, foster habits of effective daily care and regular check-ups, and truly shift the paradigm toward “prioritizing prevention over treatment.”

From June 9 to 12, 2017, the 22nd China International Dental Equipment & Materials Exhibition and Technical Exchange Conference was held at the China National Convention Center in Beijing. 32teeth, a company dedicated to providing oral health solutions for Chinese families, jointly launched the “Challenge Zero Cavities” initiative with ZhongAn Insurance, earning positive feedback and recognition from numerous dentists and industry professionals. According to VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat), 32teeth is a subsidiary of Shenzhen Timing Technology Co., Ltd., which is committed to delivering oral health solutions for Chinese families. In July 2016, the company secured millions of RMB in angel investment from Shanghai Jiazhen Medical Fund.

On June 10, at a media briefing hosted by 32teeth, Zhang Wei, CEO of 32teeth, and Su Gang, Product Manager at ZhongAn Insurance, provided a detailed interpretation of the “Zero Cavities Challenge” initiative. The collaboration aims to help children and adolescents avoid dental caries by integrating products and services such as smart hardware, cavity-prevention insurance, and dental healthcare institutions.

32teeth CEO Zhang Wei and ZhongAn Insurance’s Su Gang

From the initial emergence of the concept to its rapid rise in popularity, and then to the rational recalibration seen in recent years, smart hardware has been consistently plagued by product pain points. How can developers address users’ practical problems and thereby create a closed-loop system that establishes viable application scenarios? This is a question that numerous hardware entrepreneurs continue to ponder.

32teeth Toothbrush Tail + Cavity Prevention Insurance + Dental Healthcare Institutions: This “novel” combination marks a first-of-its-kind initiative in both the internet and dental industries. What problems does this collaboration address? How was it facilitated? How are responsibilities distributed among the partners? Could this model become a key driver of innovation in the dental industry?

In response, Zhang Wei, CEO of 32teeth, stated that China is a country with a high prevalence of dental caries, particularly among children and adolescents. To address this, 32teeth has partnered with ZhongAn Insurance to launch the “Challenge Zero Cavities” initiative, aimed at helping people develop scientifically sound oral hygiene habits and free themselves from the burden of tooth decay.

Specifically, the program prevents dental caries through three key components:

First, users utilize the toothbrush tail independently developed by 32teeth to master scientific brushing techniques, thereby blocking the pathogenic factors that cause dental caries and reducing the likelihood of cavities.

Secondly, based on each individual's caries risk, schedule routine oral examinations every three or six months to ensure the absence of dental caries;

Finally, if cavities are detected during an oral examination, users can receive immediate treatment at the clinic, with costs covered by “Cavity Prevention Insurance.” This approach ensures early detection and timely intervention, effectively preventing the occurrence of dental caries.

The basic coverage amount for cavity prevention insurance is 1,500 yuan. If the user’s average daily brushing score, as measured by the toothbrush handle, exceeds 85 points, they will receive a monthly floating coverage bonus of 300 yuan.During the one-year coverage period, the maximum sum insured can reach 5,100 yuan.

By purchasing the Yashua Weiba 1S edition, users can join the “Zero Cavities Challenge” program and receive complimentary anti-cavity insurance. The program is currently open to children and adolescents aged 6 to 20. The official website price for the Yashua Weiba 1S toothbrush is RMB 249 per unit.

“The toothbrush tail makes brushing effectiveness measurable and evaluable, which is the foundation for improving the overall level of oral care nationwide. In the future, we hope to provide users with more comprehensive oral health solutions through strong cross-industry collaborations. At the same time, we also aim to leverage 32teeth’s advanced smart products and technological advantages to engage more partners in building a win-win ecosystem,” said Zhang Wei, CEO of 32teeth. He added that the company will continue to focus on oral health and collaborate with insurance providers to launch more indemnity-based insurance products.

Why Choose Industry “Newcomer” 32teeth for This Collaboration? Su Gang, Product Manager at ZhongAn Insurance, explained the rationale: First, we are optimistic about the prospects and potential of China’s oral health industry. Within this vast sector, insurance has significant opportunities to contribute to oral health management and disease prevention. Second, we appreciate 32teeth’s determination to deeply engage in the industry, along with its professionalism. All its products feature independent intellectual property rights, demonstrating innovative approaches and R&D capabilities in improving oral health and preventing oral diseases. Looking ahead, both parties will pursue deeper collaboration.

In September 2016, 32teeth launched its first flagship product—the Toothbrush Tail. In the period that followed, this compact yet agile and intelligent toothbrush companion began to demonstrate its significant value by teaching people the correct way to brush their teeth.

Unlike most smart toothbrushes on the market, this small attachment has no bristles and is not a toothbrush itself; it is dedicated entirely to teaching proper brushing techniques. By slipping the device onto the end of a standard toothbrush handle—much like putting on a wristband—it leverages built-in nine-axis sensors and a Bluetooth chip, along with an attitude estimation algorithm co-developed with the Inertial Navigation Laboratory at Beihang University. It captures the movement trajectory of the toothbrush across 16 dental surfaces during brushing and transmits the data via Bluetooth to the “32teeth” mobile app. Based on the user’s age, the app recommends suitable brushing methods, analyzes brushing data, and provides improvement suggestions to correct technique until effective brushing habits are established.

To date, 32teeth has been granted 34 patents. Its toothbrush handle is compatible with over 98% of standard toothbrushes on the market, achieving an accuracy rate of more than 80% in replicating brushing motions.

In addition to the user-facing app, 32teeth has also launched a provider-side platform. Through the provider app, dentists can manage patients’ oral health data, receive timely alerts on oral health risks, and establish long-term, stable service relationships with patients. To date, more than 1,500 dental institutions have joined the 32teeth platform.

In the future, 32teeth will sequentially launch hardware products such as smart intraoral endoscopes. Its product portfolio planning encompasses “Oral Care Solutions,” “Home Oral Health Advisory Programs,” and “Oral Health Self-Assessment Solutions,” comprehensively supporting Chinese consumers in upgrading their consumption and service experiences in the field of oral health.

32teeth appears to be aiming beyond merely developing a smart hardware product; it is striving to build an oral health ecosystem and improve the overall oral health of the Chinese population.