Massive Challenge

We live in 2023 however Medicare has excluded dental coverage since its inception back in 1965. That’s more than half a century. The cost/benefit analysis has not been done at the government level to calculate the link between dental-related matters and more complicated healthcare costs in the future. Emergency room visits for dental problems cost over $2 billion a year.

Oral care has been separated from general healthcare in the eyes of politicians, venture capitalists, employers, government, and insurance companies. Most venture capitalists don’t understand the link between oral care and healthcare and believe the oral care market is too small to invest in, which is not true.

The lack of centralized digital records in oral care for consumers to understand the baseline for gum disease, treatments, visit notes, status of each tooth, and a technology platform to learn and compare past results contributes to worldwide lack of knowledge and a global gum disease disaster. The medical dental integration and collaboration between dentists and physicians are among the top global challenges.

The dental industry also has a lack of corporate venture arm and startup funding for innovations. Private investors rely on the general partners and investment managers who have specific expertise and a successful track record. They syndicate alongside others they trust or have a big name. The due-diligence efforts take forever.

According to NIH, untreated tooth decay cost the US about $45.9 billion in lost productivity in 2015 and often results in visits to hospital emergency rooms where care is typically palliative but does not treat the root cause of the problems.

Children don’t like to brush because it is not fun. Schools don’t have a routine dental seminar, technology coaching, or gamification for children to get educated from the early ages about oral health. We also lose $50 billion a year as a result of missed school and productivity.

A significant percentage of pregnant women have tooth decay or gum disease. Moreover, in a national survey, 77% of obstetricians and gynecologists reported having patients who declined dental services because they were pregnant. A mother’s oral health is a strong predictor of her children’s oral health, however nearly half of US births are covered by Medicaid but not all states provide dental coverage to pregnant women.

Employers don’t provide incentives for brushing habits. Many don’t appreciate how much productivity is lost because of poor oral health. FSA and HSA don’t reimburse for smart toothbrushes when people must brush twice a day to reach optimal health.

Dental insurance is a very complicated subject. Many dentists opt only for out-of-network because in-network relationships are not profitable. Pricing for the dentist’s services is not consistent. And trust has been broken between public, insurance companies, and dentists. There are over 33% of the population in the US without dental insurance. And current insurance plans typically don’t cover major procedures. Therefore, people frequently avoid going to the dentist until it is too late.