IP Indian Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Research 2023;9(4):227–231

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IP Indian Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Research

Journal homepage: https://www.ijodr.com/

Review Article
Corporate dentistry – An insight and vision for future

Neha Jairath 1 *, Shalu Jain 1, Pradeep Raghav 1, Kumar Amit 1

1 Dept. of Orthodontics, Subharti Dental College and Hospital, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India

ARTICLE INFO ABSTRACT

Article history: Not been a long while since dentistry used to be a family or community-acquainted profession. Utmost
Received 27-07-2023 of our parents used to visit one or two dentists as family dentists. A single dentist used to care for the
Accepted 12-12-2023 dental health of a small community in that area. In a sense, dentistry was more particular. Recently, with
Available online 19-01-2024 adding mindfulness and generation gaps, the conception of a ‘family dentist’ is sluggishly fading. Patients
are more apprehensive, want technical treatment, and prefer all specialists under a single roof. Many times
agone, private dentists considered their neighbourhood competitive conventions a trouble to their practice.
Keywords: With changing times, the thing which interpreters consider dangerous now is big corporate titans, opening
Corporate dentistry luxurious centers and dental chains across the visage world. With the use of a huge marketing machine and
Corporate practice
the capability to offer targeted impulses that are grounded on request exploration, corporate dentistry is
Private practice
veritably delicate to contend with. At the same time, it’s arising as a comfortable career option for dentists.
Dental chains A country like India, with around 1 billion population being a huge potent request for corporate dental
chains. To tap this largely profitable market corporate or corporate thinking has surfaced.

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1. Introduction In recent years, due to growing awareness, dental

treatment is being seen as a service and hence specialty
As we all know, dentistry or dental practice has a long treatment became the need of the hour. So private dental
history and has undergone many changes since its inception. practitioners developed the culture of calling consultants
To be precise, the dental practice has evolved in phases to their practice and thus the 3rd c i.e. Consultations got
which can be explained by the acronym 3Cs. Initially, the incorporated. Thus, the 3 C’s of dental practice, College,
dental practice was confined to colleges (the first ’C’) i.e. Clinics, and Consultations flourished with time.
academic institutions. Colleges lay down the foundation However, looking at the growing demand for dental
stone for dental practice enriching students with the basic services, few corporates got enticed towards the charm of
knowledge and practical skills of this science and are quite dentistry, and thus another ’C’ i.e. Corporate dentistry has
relevant and indispensable today. Later, to cater to the dental emerged. 1
and oral health needs of a wide range of populations, another
C emerged i.e. Clinics. Dentists started setting up private Corporate dentistry is defined as a practice modality in
clinics; thus, the dental practice expanded and got wider which management services, at a minimum, are provided
reach. in a manner that is organizationally distinct from the
scope of activities performed by a dentist within only
his or her practice. 2 Corporate dentistry is not of recent
* Corresponding author. origin, it dates back to the 1950s when the British Dental
E-mail address: [email protected] (N. Jairath). Association pioneered the concept of corporate dentistry.

https://doi.org/10.18231/j.ijodr.2023.041
2581-9356/© 2023 Author(s), Published by Innovative Publication. 227
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Corporate dentistry introduced commercial interests into the practitioner, out of which 80 to 85% is utilized in equipment,
profession and the treatment did not remain patient-centric instruments, machinery as they try to incorporate all those
so the British dental association (BDA) mitigated these things which are advanced and high-tech despite how
effects in the 1950s by increasing strictness and restricting much costly it gets having all the high tech equipment’s,
these corporate practices. But with changing times and software’s, scanners, in house laboratories which require a
changes in reforms, these restrictions were lifted in 2006, huge investment if these have to set up in a private dental
by BDA, to increase competition and open up the market to setup. Detecting caries is made easier with diagnodent
new providers. 3 Talking about the Indian scenario, in 2002 using high technologies. The setup layout of corporates
Apollo White emerged as one of the first dental cooperate being having multiple rooms dedicated to consultations,
chains with a humble setup but with advancement not only clinical work, sterilization, waiting rooms, an X-ray room,
in technology but also in our living lifestyles. a big reception area, and own magnificent laboratory
Since then, corporate dentistry has evolved by leaps and setups. Finding employees for a dental practice isn’t always
bounds. In today’s scenario, India has many successfully the easiest task, One needs to hire a receptionist, dental
running corporate dental chains to list a few, Narayana assistant, and a billing specialist which holds the same
Health Care, Axis Dental, Total Dental, and Star Dental for a private practice but in a corporate office they have
which is now commonly known by the name Clove Dental. a zonal head for each zone which has a manager, HR,
Some of the other famous corporate dental chains are materials and stock team, advertising team, faults, and
Dentistico, Dentz, My family Dentist, and Orthosquare. 4 complaint lodging team to manage the setup. A dental
There are differences between Corporate Dentistry and corporation is owned and operated at a corporate level
Private dental practice. 4 (Tables 1 and 2) and controlled by a board of shareholders. 10 Salaries come
directly from the head office with the director determining
2. Discussion the average salary for each position. To open up a corporate
practice registration with the state dental council has to
Though the essence of corporate dentistry and private dental be done and one has to obtain a license from a state-
practice remains the same, which is, providing the best level professional medical establishment authority. These
dental care to the patients. But the basic idea behind corporates also have to take AERB clearance-atomic energy
corporates entering into dental practice is to make it more research board, radiation safety tags, biomedical waste
high-tech, accessible, and convenient with strict hygiene management from the pollution control board, and have to
measures which are feasible with huge investments and register the dental setup with pan card for TDS, service tax,
funds put into. 7 and GST. 11 Marketing the setup has now become the need of
So, it is more market-driven, having a business model the hour, every business needs a website. Having a Facebook
which needs to be understood to get knowledge about business page and a dental practice social media is simply
its functioning. It includes Business strategies, standard not enough. These corporates have a specific team for doing
operating procedures, costs, earnings, and other financial digital marketing and designing websites. 12 Marketing on
information. Failing to plan, is planning to fail. While road, with help of signage and billboards and by the method
preparing a business plan the first and foremost thing of pay-per-click (PPC) has made the work easier and more
the owner looks for is - a partner if the owner wants effective.
to or not to, secondly procuring the finances is a crucial
Once the planning is completed, then comes the
step, then comes choosing the best location, obtaining the
execution. In execution, one needs to look for, recruitment,
appropriate equipment, hiring the staff and last but not the
services, social responsibilities, mobile dental setups,
least marketing the setup. 8
policies, and targets. Recruitments start by filling in the
Teaming up can help offset the costs of opening a dental
dentist’s details on the portal & uploading the CV, followed
setup. Finances are obtained either from self-investment or
by the profile check and interview and Forwarding to the
taking loans from banks. Selecting the locale also plays a
director of the state corporate office coming back to HR and
major role. The owner needs to consider that area where
the Selection and branch allotment process begins, having
people have good spending power. For example, if focusing
specialist spread globally, whose expertise, experience, and
on cosmetic dental treatments, then an area should be
the location is displayed on the website, giving the patient
selected where residents have money to spend on these
full freedom to choose his or her doctor. 13
elective services. If it’s a paediatric dental office, then the
location should be selected near expanding communities, Specialists are allocated for even a simple restoration
and providing ample space for parking are the two things or tooth extraction. Providing and accepting insurance,
that need to be looked for while selecting a location. 9 The and third-party finances to the patients, 14 so that the
third and the most imp thing is the investment, when a patients can fix their treatment in their monthly budget.
corporate office is a setup it initially needs an amount Providing medical facilities under the central govt. health
of 30-50lakhs, which is comparatively less for a private schemes, Ex-servicemen contributory health schemes for

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Table 1: Various factors describing corporate dentistry and Private dental practice differences.
Corporate dentistry Private dental practice
Work inclusion Dentistry, pay cuts, and incentives Dentistry plus renting/buying clinic space, Designing,
hiring employees, managing accounts, etc.
Autonomy in work Follows what Corporate asks them to do There is a full freedom in the theories, practices,
materials, and techniques being used.
Marketing Corporate’s responsibility Dentist’s responsibility
Income Fixed salary is provided Independent of OPD Income is variable. Dependent on OPD

Table 2: Various factors describing corporate dentistry and Private dental practice differences.
Goals Targets are fixed by the corporate to maximize their profits Depends on the drive, ambition, and interest of
the dentist
It is easy to relocate It is often difficult to relocate.
Relocation
It can be transferred to a new location if you decide to Selling of old clinic or re-establishing again
move. 5
Trust Dentists are rotated in and out, so it becomes difficult to Focus on building trust through long-term
establish relationships with the patient. 6 relations with families as well as with their
relatives.
Care Appointments are usually rushed in such a setup and care Patients needs and care is their utmost priority.
feels detached with the patient.
They opt for quantity over quality. Create lifelong partnerships toward health.

reimbursements. Dental tourism is also emerging as a and least expensive form of marketing. Growing production
new concept in which along with providing high-quality by 15% within 12 months, by consistently hitting the daily
dental treatment, traveling, and accommodations are also targets. Improving efficiency helps alleviate long waits for
provided by these corporates. Socially maintaining their the patients and keeps new patients flowing in the door. 16
responsibility by organizing theme walks, free dental The third and last step is the maintenance of what has
camps, street plays, and dental awareness programs. The been planned and executed. So under maintenance, the
new concept that has come up is the mobile dental aspects looked for are, promotions, patient management
clinic, a moving dental office, with small examination software, new offers and schemes or rewards, customer
rooms but with all the equipment necessary for basic satisfaction and feedback, membership plans, audit,
dental service, including x-ray equipment, sterilization and sterilization. 17 Promotions are done through social
facilities, and computers to schedule appointments and networking platforms. In case of dental emergencies,
process insurance claims. 15 Stricting to the policies is what doctors are just a click away, proving customer support
makes the corporates stand firm, with the Mission being, just a call away, asking a series of questions to the
providing quality dental care to patients on a timely and patients and directing them to the most appropriate place
efficient basis, preventing discrimination and harassment to receive care. Giving instant call-back options, 24x7
within the employees, occupational safety and health customer support, and long-term warranties in a hassle-free
administration providing valuable reminders of "existing manner. 12 Patient management software aid in appointment
mandated safety and health standards, health insurance scheduling, Billing, Clinical documentation, maintaining
portability and accountability act determining how & under Patient records, helping with Security and compliance, and
what circumstances practices can handle predeterminations, scheduling the staff. Increasing efficiency and streamlining
Authorization requests, claims, Paychecks & benefits and everything from administrative tasks to patient follow-up,
when and how often to expect compensation for work. so a dentist can focus on delivering quality care, leaving
Targets are financial or patient and practitioner related. The all such responsibilities to the concerned team behind.
patient-related targets include improved communication, Corporates maintain and encourage their employees through
consistent performance, and motivation. Whereas the promotions, rewards, and incentives based on the reviews of
practice-related targets include improved effectiveness, the patients, cases they have handled, and income generated
performance, teamwork, and communication. As a dentist, to motivate them to do better and to maintain the quality
it becomes important to value everyone, gain satisfaction, of work. Taking customer satisfaction very seriously by
experience, learn and recognize the peer. The other targets recording the reviews and by series of questions after each
the corporate aims for are, providing a comfortable and appointment, having the name and unique id of the doctor
efficient place to the patients keeping them loyal, and stay who treated mentioned, also provided with a feedback form
longer. Having at least 40% of patients referred from friends to fill. Various membership plans for women, and students,
or relatives- word-of-mouth advertising is the most effective annual dental health plans, and platinum packages for the

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whole family are also given at discounted rates. 12 changed or rotated after every 4-5 years which is again a
Another phase of maintenance is Audits. Every two disadvantage for a patient visiting the same doctor for years.
months a meeting is held with the C.E.O. and Director, Doctors have to fill a bond as a shred of evidence so that if
to provide investors and stakeholders with confidence they leave before completing a particular period, a certain
that a company’s financial reports are accurate and to amount of fine can be imposed on them. These corporates
provide assurance that a company is adhering to the are set up from a business point of view, not from the patient
appropriate legal and regulatory standards. Some of these point of view, with no practice equity.
corporate maintain the highest standards of sterilization Retention of patients rather than merely adding new
Providing a 10x sterilization including, Sample testing by ones should be a priority in any practice. The aim should
an accredited external pathology lab and maintaining ’free therefore be to create a welcoming environment for patients,
from infection’ certificates in each clinic.4-step sterilization while providing an excellent patient experience.
for instruments and air rotors, special high technology
equipment installed in the clinics to reduce the aerosols 2.1. Clinical practice points
generated during the treatment. This technology uses high
suction strength, coupled with special filters like the high 1. There should be separate treatment rooms to avoid
fiber cotton filter, fiberglass filter, HEPA (h13) filter, and any kind of cross infection specially in this time of
activated carbon filters to clean the air and reduce the pandemic.
risk of infection. UV light disinfection for even napkins, 2. One must employ all digital and advanced techniques
masks, tubing, telephones, etc. Modified pre and during- and equipment’s for everyday dentistry.
treatment protocols including hand sanitization, sharing 3. Mandatory consent forms for ethical practice should
travel &medical history, infrared thermal scanning, oxygen be made and be signed by the patients.
level monitoring, and iodine mouth rinse are still taken 4. One should work on the feedbacks given by patients
very seriously, which might get missed sometimes in as it is the main point to make a setup run and prosper.
private practice. Best in class & global standard PPEs for 5. 10 x sterilization should be followed.
all dentists and dental assistants. Disposal of biomedical 6. All the mandatory forms and registrations (fire,
waste as per WHO guidelines only. They have an in-house biomedical waste, and clinical registration etc.) should
secured central electronic medical system that records the be maintained and renewed as per state guidelines.
entire journey of the patient starting from their first visit.
Bimonthly audits to maintain and check sterilization and 2.2. Benefits of the findings of the paper
safety and fumigate the clinics multiple times a day, for the 1. To the stylish of our knowledge, there are no published
elimination of viruses, fungi, and bacteria. 12 data available regarding the aggregate of in and out
There is nothing in the world that is perfect, same goes working of corporate chains in dentistry.
for corporate dental practices which have their pros but have 2. This review clears the myths encompassing the
many cons too attached to them. So under pros, Having a knowledge of corporate dentistry.
large team associated, the team members are slightly less 3. Also, tells us about the differences between corporate
stressed and can take time for other priorities too, and still dentistry and private dental practice which are
able to provide patient care. Excellent infection control necessary to know before starting any kind of practise.
system, Easy relocation, Mandatory latest technologies,
Patient has freedom, high-quality care by a specialist only, 3. Conclusion
Benefit of a recognized brand, Price war lower price will
mean cheaper materials and instruments, but it does not hold Trust in the dental profession is based on ethical conduct
for corporate dentistry even if the price is low there is no and feedback from the interaction between the dentist
compromise on the quality of the materials. 13 and society. The trust of the patients and society in the
The biggest cons of corporate practice are, to achieve the capabilities of a dentist has granted this occupation, the
targets the doctors sometimes do unethical practices, e.g., status of the profession. Following standardization, the
if a patient can be cured with just a restoration, patients are paradigm may shift from generating profits to providing
convinced to get a root canal done just to achieve the targets. more quality dental care.
Non-dentists can be providing the dentist with criticism
and feedback decreasing the morale and motivation of the 4. Source of Funding
dentists. Tighter schedules, lead to overscheduled workdays None.
with a high volume of patients. Time to spend with each
patient to consider treatments or recommendations may be
5. Conflict of Interest
reduced. Narrower practice accounts for less flexibility to
take on different procedures based on company treatment None.
policies. Doctors working are replaceable, i.e. they get

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