Editor | Wu Jinna
"Nearly 10,000 yuan of imported implants, nearly half of the cost is used for' paving the market'."
Some time ago, some media exposed the huge profits of the dental implant industry. The report pointed out that the expensive dental implant cost includes a huge "promotion fee". And all this requires consumers to pay the bill. The implant mentioned in it is one of the main consumables for dental implants. According to statistics, the cost of dental implants accounts for about 50% of the total cost.
"High-priced dental implants" triggered public opinion thinking, and this secret industry also attracted attention at once.
"Dad made 20 dental implants, one more than 10,000." A consumer said to the pencil channel. As far as the current market is concerned, the cost is almost equivalent to a new low-priced version of Tucki P7, which is enough to buy a decent one-bedroom apartment in general third-and fourth-tier cities.
Although in the eyes of users, dental implants are expensive because dental implants are expensive. However, in the eyes of the industry, in the final analysis, it is because dentists who master dental implant technology are scarce and the popularity of technology is not high.
"I think dental implant technology is a technology that every dentist must master. Most residents, trained, can operate. If the future dental implant technology can be widely trained in all hospitals like tooth washing and filling technology, the problem of scarce professionals will be solved. " Nan Zhe, the founder of Weishimei, told Pencil, "The problem of expensive dental implants can't always focus on dental implants, which can't solve the fundamental problem. Only by popularizing technology can people grow good and cheap teeth. "
According to the agency's forecast, in 20 19 years, the stock space of dental implants in China will reach176.3 billion yuan. By 20021,the stock space of dental implants in China will reach 276.3 billion yuan. Considering the aging population, the future market size of dental implants is expected to go further, rising to 321800 million yuan. In addition, the data also shows that the implants used in domestic hospitals are mainly from Europe, America and South Korea, accounting for more than 90%, and the domestic share is insufficient 1%.
On the supply side, in addition to the popularization of technology, government procurement can also greatly help reduce the price of dental implants. At the same time, government procurement can also help "good money drive out bad money" and give domestic consumables brands opportunities. The rise of domestic substitute products is only a matter of time.
0 1
Expensive dental implants
In the daily impression of users, only serious illness will cost hundreds or even hundreds of thousands. But now, the cost of repairing a tooth can reach this level.
"Dad made 20 dental implants, one more than 10,000." A friend said to the pencil. As far as the current market is concerned, the cost is almost equivalent to a new low-priced version of Tucki P7, which is enough to buy a decent one-bedroom apartment in general third-and fourth-tier cities.
Expensive has become consumers' first impression of dental implants.
"In my twenties, I have done porcelain teeth and dental implants, and my mouth is full of money." Some people say.
In addition to middle-aged and elderly people, some young people have also begun to implant teeth. Dental implants are so expensive, why even young people with low economic strength choose dental implants?
"Dental implants can restore more than 85% of chewing function, which is the highest treatment scheme for tooth loss that can restore chewing function at present. For example, removable dentures can only restore 30% chewing function, and porcelain bridges can restore 70% chewing function. " Nan Zhe, founder of Weishimei, explained the advantages of dental implants to Pencil Road. Ph.D., Peking University College of Stomatology, 65,438+06 years of stomatology experience, ten years of work in public 3A hospitals, and many years of pioneering work in stomatology.
Compared with other treatment schemes, dental implants are relatively more complicated. Dental implants are mainly composed of implants, abutments and crowns, which need to be implanted into alveolar bone. The whole operation cycle is long, up to half a year, and the doctor's level is also high.
According to some data, dental implants account for the largest part of the high cost of dental implants. According to the data of brokerage research report, implants account for 50% of the total cost, surgery cost and anesthesia cost account for 25%, restoration materials and implant abutments each account for 10%, and crowns account for 5%. Therefore, it is considered that dental implants are expensive mainly because dental implants are expensive.
The implants on the market are mainly overseas brands.
The data show that the implants used in domestic hospitals are mainly from Europe, America and South Korea, accounting for more than 90%, and the domestic share is insufficient 1%.
An industry insider told Pencil Road that the reason why domestic implants are rarely chosen is because the clinical application time is short.
"The main component of the implant is titanium. Although titanium is not scarce, it belongs to precision machining, which is difficult to process, with low yield and complex surface treatment process. Switzerland, the United States and South Korea have relatively mature technologies and products dominate the global market. " Nan Zhe said that according to the current domestic situation, the price of dental implants is really hard to be lower than 1000 yuan.
He introduced that there are currently 20,000 to 3. 1 10,000 dental implants in the industry, and the cost of consumables and materials alone may reach 6,000 to 7,000 yuan. "This does not include the rent, utilities and doctor's fees of the dental hospital. If you only accept 10 thousand pieces, you will lose. "
However, in the market, there are also many dental implants with a price of six or seven thousand yuan or even four or five thousand yuan. But Nan Zhe bluntly said, "
Cheap dental implants are definitely different from those with more than 10,000 yuan in terms of doctor qualifications and materials.
Just like a mobile phone, there are 10,000-yuan top-mounted phones and 1,000-yuan phones, and the gap between them is the chip, screen and operating system. In the dental implant industry, doctors, materials and services are the main gaps. "
Nan Zhe mentioned that a dental implant with a cost of about 5,000 yuan may cost about 2,000 yuan for materials, doctors and rent. "This shows the difference in cost. however
Dental care is similar to the consumption upgrade of medical services, which means that the prices of different products are very different. "
However, Nan Zhe also admitted that in some cheap dental implant treatments, the professional ability of doctors is really worrying, and whether there are professional qualifications is in doubt.
02
Talent and technology monopoly
From the outside world, high-quality and high-priced dental implants also have room for price reduction, that is, knocking down the price of dental implants. Earlier, a representative suggested that "the cost of dental implant materials should be included in medical insurance". This means that dental implant materials are expected to be purchased centrally and there is room for price reduction.
However, in Nan Zhe's view, dental implants are expensive in doctors and technology, not materials. "The most important thing in the medical industry is definitely the professional skills of doctors, and everything else is auxiliary."
If we really want to reduce the price of dental implants, the most important thing is to break down the technical barriers and let more dentists master dental implant technology.
The data shows that there are about 6.5438+0.7 million dentists with professional qualifications in China at present, and among these people, only 38+0% dentists with 654.38+0.654 have the ability to implant teeth, that is, less than 20,000 dentists. "In the team of less than 20,000 people, the professional level is high and low, and it is uneven. In South Korea, where planting technology is the most popular in the world, 80% of dentists can do dental implants. " Nan Zhe said.
Nan Zhe told Pencil that the reason why there are few dentists who master dental implant technology in China is not because the technology is too difficult, but because it is difficult for most dentists to have access to it.
The dental implant industry in China entered a rapid development channel in the mid-1990s, and it has only been 20 years now.
At present, there are only four kinds of professional scenes for dentists in China, namely, stomatological specialized hospitals, stomatological departments of 3A hospitals, stomatological departments of primary hospitals and private clinics. Most primary hospitals only do basic treatment, not dental implant projects. "Dental implants only exist in the top three hospitals, as well as the stomatology departments of some secondary hospitals, and finally there are private clinics." Nan Zhe said.
Dental implant is the most profitable project in domestic public stomatological hospitals. In this case, only a few doctors will be allowed to have dental implants by the leaders. Nan Zhe mentioned that although dental students can also learn dental implant technology, it is very difficult to implant teeth well without the opportunity of hands-on practice. "Or you have studied it, but your department doesn't allow this fee, or you are not allowed to contact this technology."
At present, 80% of doctors in China are in the public medical system, which means that very few dentists have access to dental implant technology.
So, can dentists learn this technique well in private stomatological hospitals?
"Most dental clinics in China are run by capitalists rather than dentists. The capital will try its best to reduce costs and find cheap dentists. However, most highly skilled dentists will choose to do it themselves instead of working. " Nan Zhe said.
In addition, the number of patients in private clinics is not large. There are no experienced doctors and few patients, which makes it difficult for dentists in private hospitals to improve their dental implant skills.
He believes that the combination of the above reasons has caused a shortage of dental implant doctors in China. but
Most importantly, public hospitals are not open to dental implant technology.
"I think dental implant technology is a technology that every dentist must master. Most residents, trained, can operate. If the future dental implant technology can be widely trained in all hospitals like tooth washing and filling technology, the problem of scarce professionals will be solved. " Nan Zhe said that the problem of expensive dental implants can't always focus on dental implants, which can't solve the fundamental problem. Only by popularizing technology can people grow good and cheap teeth.
03
The market scale exceeds 300 billion.
Although the popularization of technology is the most essential way to reduce the price of dental implants, it is difficult to rely entirely on market regulation in China.
"It depends on whether the local health authorities can realize the problems existing in this small industry. Dental implant can be defined as a necessary ability for dentists. Any stomatology department should learn dental implant technology and open the access threshold for hospitals. Then the government department will take the lead in promoting the official dental implant technical training system. " Nan Zhe believes that,
Dental implant should be regarded as an ordinary dental technology, not an ultra-high profit technology.
"Different dental positions can be divided into different difficulties, and some simple planting techniques can be promoted. At this time, you can also divide the advanced version and layer it according to the difficulty. Instead of monopolizing resources first and then dividing them up. " He said.
On the supply side,
In addition to the popularization of technology, government procurement can also greatly help reduce the price of dental implants. At the same time, government procurement can also help "good money drive out bad money".
"The government can buy it and then set an all-inclusive price. Although this has reduced the freedom of the market to a certain extent, it has also reduced the living space of some hospitals that rely on low prices. " Nan Zhe said, "The low price stipulated by the government is to meet the basic needs of patients. Because in the current market, Gui Li has more basic needs than Li Kui jy. "
Nan Zhe admits that it is impossible for all dental implants to become cheap, and the market needs to exist in layers. "Just like buying a mobile phone, some people need low-end mobile phones, and some people need high-end mobile phones."
but
Another advantage of government procurement is that there are more opportunities in the domestic consumables industry.
As mentioned above, domestic implants have a low market share due to less clinical application. In the final analysis, the sample size and data are not enough to prove medical safety, which leads to the lack of confidence of hospitals in domestic consumables.
"This has formed a paradox. Domestic consumables are rarely used, and the quality cannot be proved, so domestic consumables are not used. However, without domestic consumables, they cannot have enough data. " Nan Zhe said seriously, "With such a large population in China, the consumption of four or five million implants a year can generate enough data of domestic consumables."
At present, the advantage of domestic implants lies in the price. According to the data, the price of domestic implants is mostly 400-500 yuan, with high cost performance. According to the data of Food and Drug Administration, there are 18 enterprises and 19 kinds of domestic dental implant products registered in China. If there is policy blessing and technological progress, the market share of domestic implants is expected to increase, and it also has the power to compete with imported implants.
The hope of flowering on the supply side is the confidence given by the demand side.
The data shows that in 2020, the number of dental implants in China will be about 4 million, and the market size of dental implant services will reach 30.25 billion yuan, up 22.97% year-on-year. Among them, the market size of dental implants is 310.50 billion yuan.
However, the dental implant service market in China still has a huge development space.
According to the agency's forecast, the stock space of dental implants in China will reach 654.38+0763 billion yuan in 2065.438+09. By 20021,the stock space of dental implants in China will reach 276.3 billion yuan. Considering the aging population, the future market size of dental implants is expected to go further, rising to 321800 million yuan.
Such a large-scale dental implant market potential also gives unlimited imagination for domestic substitution.