Dentistry hardly resembles what it was years ago and changes are predicted to expand. We are using the latest innovations because we know that this is the future of dentistry.
Q: 2021 is about to end and still the world is under the Covid-19 challenge. What changed for DENT ESTET in 2021 versus 2020?
Dr. Oana Taban: DENT ESTET has been following the highest safety and hygiene standards for the last 22 years. We value our patient’s health and ours. We are used to working with patients that have chronic conditions or compromised immunity systems so for us the safety protocol was always a very important and mandatory line.
2020 brought a “light” on that matter, and aware that dental problems can have a major impact on general health, Romanians have turned their attention to dental clinics that gave them confidence through the implementation of additional safety measures. Our patients quickly understood that it is better to prevent than to treat and did not postpone the treatments, regardless of the epidemiological situation. Immediately after the official opening of dental clinics, as of May 15, 2020, DENT ESTET patients have returned to the clinic to complete their treatment plans. And this has been reflected in our financial results in 2021.
Q: In 2020 you announced an annual turnover of 67 mil lei. How do you expect 2021 to end from a financial point-of-view?
Cristian Taban: DENT ESTET, part of MedLife Group, has reconfirmed its leading position on the Romanian dental services market with a turnover of 46 million lei in the first semester of the year, a 60% increase above the first semester of 2020. DENT ESTET figures for 2021 are a consolidation of the financial results from 2020 when the group registered a turnover of 67 million lei. These financial results represent the proof of efficient strategic management and of the real involvement of our team of specialists for the improvement of dental health among the Romanians.
We are happy to announce that 2021 is a very good year for DENT ESTET, because we gained well-prepared professionals to DENT ESTET team. We have signed two strong partnerships. In September, with Stomestet, the most important dental clinic from Transylvania, founded in 2001 by two Romanian dental medical leaders, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Smaranda Buduru, General Dentistry and Prosthetic MD, Doctor of Medical Sciences, and Dr. Rares Buduru, with high interest in Implantology and Dental Prosthetics, author of several speciality works and Manager. And, in November, we signed a partnership with Oradent by Dr. Costea clinic, leader of the dentistry market in Bihor County, founded by Dr. Cosmin Costea, a dentist with competence in implantology, specialized in dental prosthetics, and resident doctor in dentoalveolar surgery.
Thus, DENT ESTET reaches this year a portfolio of 14 clinics in 7 important cities in the country: Bucharest, Timisoara, Sibiu, Brasov, Ploiesti, Cluj-Napoca and Oradea.
Q: Did the pandemic change the way patients feel about dental care? If yes, did this change have a positive impact on your business?
Dr. Oana Taban: Our studies show an increase in Romanian’s interest towards regaining their dental healthcare or gaining natural-looking aesthetics, passing through complex oral rehabilitation treatments under our medical experts care.
As I said previously, for us, the main goal was patient’ safety, and we are proud that all our 22 years of work and dedication towards patients have been rewarded with confidence during this period as well.
We encourage our patients to address dental care problems in the prevention phase and we have seen improvements in this area, especially in this period. These days, the Romanian patient is extremely informed, thoroughly documented related to treatments, techniques, and services existing both in the domestic and international market. The patient has become extremely selective in choosing the dentist, wanting quality services, so as found in countries with a tradition in dentistry in the world (USA, Germany, Italy, Holland), where high-performance systems insurance allows patients access to treatments that meet the most demanding expectations.
So, from Digital Smile Design, MODJAW scanner and Waterlase laser, DENT ESTET always looked to the future to ensure our patients are provided the opportunity to always have the best and latest technology available.
During all these years, we continued to invest in cutting-edge technology and our medical team through sharing and creating a mentoring culture with the purpose to reach patient expectations and to have the most efficient treatment solutions for his medical dental problems.
Q: DENT ESTET 4 Kids and DENT ESTET 4 Teens clinics are key investments for your group. How did the pandemic impact these investments? What is the development strategy for these clinics?
Dr. Oana Taban: DENT ESTET 4 Kids have always played an important role for us. We introduced this unique concept for the first time on the Romanian dental market. The experience we gained in 13 years of activity of DENT ESTET 4 Kids clinics, a leader in dental services dedicated exclusively to children, shows us that more and more parents have understood why it is good to take care of the teeth from the moment they appear and to go to the orthodontist when we have problems related to the proper alignment of the teeth.
We continued to develop the Kids Division, so, in June this year, DENT ESTET announced the acquisition of the full package of shares of the DE 4 KIDS Timisoara clinic, the growth engine of this division in the first quarter of 2021. Also, in September, we opened a new clinic în Ploiesti, with dental offices dedicated to children and a multidisciplinary team of doctors, specialized in working exclusively with children. We will continue to bring these services dedicated exclusively to children in as many cities in the country as possible because we want to contribute to the healthy development of the new generations.
We believe it is our duty as doctors and as people to inform parents to come to regular check-ups and to educate children to be aware of oral health and how it influences general health. Therefore, we have been involved in numerous social responsibility projects. We have had a collaboration of almost 10 years with Save the Children Romania, an organization that is involved in developing educational programs that guarantee equal access to education for children from vulnerable groups. In 2021, we also signed an important partnership with Magic Association, through which DENT ESTET 4 KIDS doctors, specially trained to work with children who need more time to adjust to the dentist, will offer complex dental consultations and specialized dental treatments.
Q: What steps did you take in your Digital Transformation journey for DENT ESTET?
Dr. Oana Taban: During all these years, we continued to invest in cutting-edge technology, which become a tremendous advantage for the patient in the hands of our multidisciplinary medical team of experts.
In 2017, we opened in Bucharest the first completely digital dental clinic in Romania, DENT ESTET Primaverii, with the highest standards in international dental medicine. This clinic is also the only Straumann Implant Center of Excellence in Romania and the home of a Planmeca Digital Academy center.
We implemented the technology in each DENT ESTET clinic and continued to invest in our medical team through sharing and a mentoring culture with the purpose to reach patient expectations and having the most efficient treatment solutions for his medical dental problems.
At the beginning of this year, we acquired MODJAW 4D dentistry, a technology that offers a unique experience for our patients: efficiency, comfort, and advanced interactions. This technology is used for diagnosis, but especially for growing efficiency of treatment plans, with the results desired by the patient.
Our focus is also on laser dental treatments. Being painless, minimally invasive, and extremely effective, the laser is currently used in all branches of dentistry to treat many dental problems, such as periodontic disease, canal treatments, but also in aesthetic interventions. The patient experience, when treatments are made with the laser, such as Waterlase ®️ or Epic™ Biolase, is much improved and the success of the treatments is guaranteed.
Q: The DENT ESTET Group, part of the MedLife medical system, inaugurated in 2021 a new dental clinic in Ploiesti, announced two acquisitions, reaching a portfolio of 14 clinics in 7 major cities in the country. What is the development strategy for the next year?
Dr. Cristian Taban: With MedLife support, DENT ESTET will continue its strategy of constant national expansion and will soon operate 15 dental clinics, opening a new unit in Craiova. We keep the engines running for the last part of the year. We have a continuing interest in opening clinics and we want to remain a pole of attraction for new acquisitions. But, our primary focus remains on people. The medical team is the most valuable DENT ESTET investment, from identifying the best professionals, to their continuous training through development programs, to providing them with the latest technology, so patients can benefit from the high-performance treatments. Together with MedLife, a company with which we share the mission of always putting the needs of patients and doctors first, we invest in people, for people.
Q: How do you see the Romanian dentistry market evolution in 2022?
Dr. Oana Taban: Dentistry hardly resembles what it was years ago and the changes are predicted to continue and expand. The new technologies are built with the dental professional in mind and the patient at heart. At DENT ESTET, we are using the latest innovations because we know that this is the future of dentistry.
The patient will choose the dental clinic that will give him full confidence in doctors’ expertise, the dental treatments efficiency and the best possible clinical results. In addition, patients will look for quality materials and access to technologies that will ensure the comfort and safety they need.
Cristian Taban: On the other hand, changes are already being seen in the Romanian dental market. Many of the market players reported increasing operating revenues in 2020 and turned their attention to faster development and national expansion. We have also noticed a growing interest of clinics to benefit from the advantages of belonging to a strong brand, such as DENT ESTET. We refer here to the integration of young doctors, through courses and training programs on all specializations, performed internally by mentored doctors; the opportunity offered to the doctors and nurses to develop within a mature team, with expertise in all branches of dentistry and access to digital technology to meet the very specific requirements of Romanian patients, well informed and aware of the developments that digitalization has brought in modern dentistry.
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