• Breaks down the consumer dental industry.
• Identifies the fast growing sub-verticals and areas within the dental market.
• Profiles 5-10 of some of the fast growing software and consumer dental businesses. Those businesses can be bootstrapped or VC driven.
• Outlines some potential opportunities for new businesses.
• The first three bullet points should be prioritized. Bullet points number 4 and 5 are of lesser importance for now.
• A Google document has been created to house the companies in the space that were mentioned in the chat transcript. Where this is observed "****" those are the ones that are of interest.

Data Availability

• The initial round of research indicates that information surrounding the breakdown of the consumer dental industry and the fast growing sub-verticals and areas within the dental market is low to limited as the data is behind paywalls that Wonder cannot access. Data availability surrounding some fast growing software and consumer dental businesses is adequate. The fourth research point, which we were directed to de-prioritize [potential opportunities for new businesses] appears to be low to limited in the public domain, but there is adequate data surrounding trends.

Breakdown of the Consumer Dental Industry

• The United States Dental Market is expected to be USD 30.59 Billion by 2027, according to this paywalled source.
• Cosmetic surgery, aging of the American population, and advancements in dental procedures due to advanced technology are the factors predicted to drive the demands of the dental equipment industry. "Some other factors may include poor oral hygiene, smoking habits, diabetes. Moreover, the demands of prosthetic, preventive and surgical dentistry will also contribute to this market. However, the lack of proper reimbursement and the high cost of dental procedures hinder the market growth."
• According to the “United States Dental Market, by Segments, Types, Expense, End-User, Comp. Strategy, Sales & Forecast” report, This report asserts that the United States dental market is expected to surpass US$ 28 Billion by the year 2025. This is also paywalled.
• "Dental hospitals, clinics, and companies in the United States are focusing on improving their dental services and technologies for consumers seeking advance treatment. Most importantly, rising consumer demand for better oral care facilities and a country with the unified healthcare system, patients are more focused on choosing the best dental services available."

General Findings

• The number of health plans offering adult dental benefits has more than doubled since 2018, according to a new survey by the firm West Monroe Partners, as health and dental insurers hurtle toward convergence.
• "There is a growing presence of direct to the consumer (DTC) dental laboratory services, where patients are instructed in how to independently take their own impressions and order products such as mouth guards, snoring appliances, teeth whitening trays and bleaching products, partial dentures, veneers and aligners."
• While many consumers would prefer traditional treatment from a dentist or orthodontist, they opted for DTC aligners because of cost and convenience.
• Reasons for the rise of D2C dental care include underserved patients and a focus on preventative care. 

Direct to Consumer Dental Care Startups

• We first looked at the list of companies provided to us to ensure we did not repeat any provided to us.
•  Zenyum is a startup that wants to make cosmetic dentistry more affordable. Founded in 2018, the company’s products now include ZenyumSonic electric toothbrushes; Zenyum Clear, or transparent 3D-printed aligners; and ZenyumClear Plus for more complex teeth realignment cases.
•  HENRY the Dentist is a company that sends mobile dental units to various corporate locations, enabling employers to let their employees conveniently receive treatment. One hour out of the office, and patients are back to work.
•  Virtudent has taken this model even further. The Massachusetts-based company sends out mobile units of hygienists for 45-minute cleanings and examinations, including any necessary x-rays and intraoral photographs. The documentation is then sent to a remote dentist who reviews it and follows up with each patient virtually via an online portal. Any further work needed is then referred to a local brick-and-mortar practitioner.
•  Denti.AI utilizes artificial intelligence to read and diagnose patient x-ray images. This has the potential to not only serve as an objective in-house second opinion, but save dentists hundreds of hours per year. Moreover, because the foundational technology is based on artificial intelligence, Denti.AI gets smarter with each additional patient x-ray.
•  Patient Prism helps track and analyze phone call patterns to convert more callers into patients. The software, which also leverages artificial intelligence, identifies why calls fail to yield new patients, giving offices the information they need to take immediate action to win back lost business.

Summary

• Our initial hour of research focused on ensuring that the research question could be answered using publicly available sources and then providing salient and relevant data surrounding the breakdown of the consumer dental industry [most of the data for this was paywalled], some general findings on the rise of D2C dental industry, and five startups in the software and consumer dental business [Zenyum, HENRY the Dentist, Virtudent, Denti.AI, and Patient Prism].
• We were not provided a geographic focus for this project, so we assumed a broad approach and looked globally. If a more targeted approach is desired, for example, the United States, this would have to be clearly communicated to us in any reply within each appropriate scoping box.
• As a reminder, Wonder only uses publicly available sources to answer all research questions. We do not do primary research, and we do not have access to paid databases or paywalled reports, but we can cite them in research for reference only [in case purchase is desired]. If that is of interest, that would clearly have to be communicated to us in any reply.
• It is of note that while the initial hour of research does not allow us to embed graphics and other visuals, we can certainly do that for any subsequent research projects that are selected. This will enable us to provide visual examples/graphs/charts to add color and depth to the research.
• Please select one or more of the options provided in the proposed scoping section below.