Is it promising to open a dentistry? Market analysis
To gain the trust of patients, it is necessary to attract the best specialists, outline goals, draw up a project, and purchase modern equipment. All this is done after a thorough market analysis. Competition in the field of dental services is very high, for example, in Moscow the number of private clinics is 96%.
A businessman needs to monitor the services market and pay attention to clinics located in the selected area of the city. It is advisable to study what materials and equipment competitors use, their marketing strategies, and customer flow. You don't need any special skills for this.
In order not to lose money and time, you need to find answers to these basic questions:
- what services are most in demand;
- what are the strengths and weaknesses of competitors;
- pricing for dental services;
- what treatment techniques competitors use.
At the start, a dental business will be expensive, and the bulk of the capital is intended for the purchase of materials and equipment. Obtaining the necessary documentation requires a lot of effort and time. The high profitability of the dental business outweighs the initial difficulties and large investment of time.
Is it necessary for a doctor to be a businessman, and for a businessman to be a doctor?
The dental business brings good profits to entrepreneurs. Doctors who work in government institutions are thinking about opening a private clinic. Both an experienced dentist and a novice businessman can achieve success. The most important thing is the professionalism of doctors and the right approach to organizing a business.
Medical school graduates are good doctors, not managers and entrepreneurs. An experienced businessman-manager has a greater chance of success.
When opening a dental office, you need to take into account the specifics of the legislative framework. To register an LLC, a businessman is not required to have a medical education. Profile education will be needed when opening an individual entrepreneur.
A businessman does not have to be a doctor to open a clinic. Some doctors manage to establish successful businesses in dentistry. A business owner must understand advanced approaches to dental treatment, introduce new technologies, and objectively evaluate the work of doctors.
In Europe, only doctors with education can open medical offices. It is believed that the head of a dental clinic should be a specialist with a medical education. In Russia there are no such requirements yet. A businessman without specialized education can become successful by inviting an experienced practicing chief physician to the clinic.
equipment requirements
For each of the above structural divisions, the Procedure provides for equipment standards (Appendices No. 11, 12, 13, 14).
These standards contain the minimum required set of equipment for the functioning of units. That is, a medical organization may have more equipment than is provided for by the standard. At the same time, the standard for equipping a dental clinic includes 11 substandards for:
- general practice office of a dental clinic;
- therapeutic dentistry office;
- surgical dentistry office;
- orthopedic dentistry office;
- dental laboratory;
- orthodontic department;
- physiotherapy department;
- radiology department;
- functional diagnostics room;
- mobile dental office;
- centralized sterilization department (block).
The standard for equipping dental departments in medical organizations providing outpatient care includes 7 substandards for:
- general practice departments;
- departments of therapeutic dentistry;
- departments of surgical dentistry;
- departments of orthopedic dentistry;
- dental laboratory;
- orthodontic department;
- physiotherapy department;
- radiology department;
Let's look at an example of equipping one of the offices. The above list of equipment is shortened, since the standard provides for more than 100 items:
Dental office equipment standard | |
Dental clinic (for general practice office) | |
Name | Qty |
Apparatus for diagnosing pulp vitality (electroodontometer) | At least 1 per office |
Apparatus for determining the depth of the root canal (apex locator) | At least 1 per office |
Ultrasonic dental plaque removal device (scaler) if not available in MRU and US | At least 1 per office |
Dental burner (alcohol, gas, piezo) | At least 1 per office |
Assorted eye probes for probing the duct of the salivary glands | At least 3 titles per office |
Dental injector, for carpule anesthesia | At least 3 per doctor’s workplace |
Chambers for storing sterile instruments (in the absence of a packaging system) | At least 1 per office |
And other positions | Total 102 |
Medical equipment used to provide medical care, in accordance with Art. 38 of the Federal Law of November 21, 2011 N 323-FZ “On the fundamentals of protecting the health of citizens in the Russian Federation” (hereinafter referred to as Federal Law No. 323), are medical devices, and therefore subject to mandatory registration.
It is important to note that in accordance with Part 4 of Art. 38 Federal Law No. 323, medical devices must be included in the state register of medical devices. Confirmation of the fact of registration of a medical device, in accordance with Decree of the Government of the Russian Federation of December 27, 2012 N 1416 “On approval of the Rules for state registration of medical devices,” is a registration certificate. It is issued indefinitely.
Only medical products manufactured according to individual orders of patients, which are subject to special requirements for the prescription of medical workers and which are intended exclusively for personal use by a specific patient, are not subject to state registration.
Office or clinic?
The format of the medical institution depends on the budget, capabilities and goals of the entrepreneur. The difference between clinics and offices is the scale and profit margin. The clinic provides patients with a full range of services:
- orthopedic dentistry;
- diagnostics;
- surgical dentistry;
- dental implantation;
- prosthetics and periodontics;
- tooth extraction;
- treatment of neuralgic pain;
- aesthetic dentistry.
The list of services in a dental office will not be long. Patients are offered hygiene procedures, dental treatment, filling, installation of braces, and tooth extraction.
To open a clinic, you need a solid budget for equipment, premises, and salaries for doctors. Opening a dental office is a less expensive task. The choice of the type of dental business depends not only on the budget, but also on the knowledge of the entrepreneur. For newcomers to business, it is better to open an office rather than a clinic. Over time, a successful office can be scaled up into a clinic.
List, service and repair of equipment for a dental surgical office
A dentist’s surgical office is subject to many requirements, both sanitary, in terms of the regulatory framework, and ergonomic, operational, repair and technical, and others.
For example, it is necessary to organize supply and exhaust ventilation (removing exhaust air and replacing it with outside air). If work is carried out with amalgam, it is necessary to install fume hoods. But this is only part of what a dental surgeon’s office needs to be equipped with.
How to legally register dentistry: documents and permits
Dental business begins with registration of the form of activity. Obtaining permits is considered the most troublesome task. To open a pediatric dentistry and surgery, you will need several permitting licenses. An individual entrepreneur will be sufficient for a dental office. If an entrepreneur plans to hire a staff of doctors, he will need to register an LLC. In the latter case, the businessman receives a personnel license.
OKVED codes 85.12 or 85.13 are used. Determining a specific code affects the way the enterprise is taxed. “Dental practice” corresponds to code 85.13. “Medical practice” is conducted according to code 85.12.
Premises intended for dental offices must comply with certain standards. If the premises are being redeveloped, you will need permission from the fire department, the architecture department, and the district administration. You must obtain permission to use X-ray equipment.
Room
If you have an unlimited budget, it is recommended to buy the premises as your own. If your budget is small, you can rent a room. In the case of a lease, special attention should be paid to the agreement with the lessor. A room of 30 m2 will be sufficient for an office. To open a clinic with 5 chairs, a room with an area of 180 m2 is suitable.
Rospotrebnadzor standards stipulate that the area of the office should be at least 30 square meters. The distance between the window and the wall is from 6 meters, and the minimum ceiling height is 3 meters.
The premises must comply with fire requirements and SES standards. We list the most basic requirements:
- the premises are located no higher than the 2nd floor;
- provision is made for the supply of compressed air and carbon dioxide;
- The walls are not finished in the room where dental x-rays are performed.
The area of the room for 1 dental chair is from 14 m2. The remaining space is divided into an area for receiving patients, a bathroom, and a sterilization room.
A dental clinic must have additional rooms (administration, staff premises, warehouse). There may be offices of an orthopedist and an orthodontist. It is better to open a clinic in a passable place, and not in a remote area of the city. This condition is not considered critical only for sparsely populated cities.
Equipment costs
The list of equipment for dentistry is very large. To select equipment, it is better to invite a specialist who is well versed in professional equipment. For one workplace you will need one dental chair with 4 arms. Basic equipment must comply with sanitary regulations.
A new dental chair costs from 300,000 rubles (prices may vary in different cities). You can buy used equipment cheaper, but it must have all the necessary certificates. Additionally you will need the following materials:
- dental instruments (30,000 rubles);
- consumables (5000 rubles monthly);
- polymerization lamps (10,000 rubles);
- an autoclave designed for processing instruments (60,000 rubles);
- Alex locators (30,000 rubles);
- pieces of furniture (counters for administrators, sofa for waiting, chairs for doctors);
- sterilization equipment (30,000 rubles);
- radiovisiograph (250,000 rubles).
These are just the basic positions for a dental office. You will need hygiene products, cabinets for tools, and materials for filling teeth. We need air humidifiers, sealing devices, ultrasonic scanners to remove plaque, and replacement tips.
Equipment costs depend on the number of dental chairs. In any case, you will need basic equipment and consumables.
Requirements for dentists and staff
An entrepreneur must decide on the concept of dentistry and recruit personnel. The clinic with 5 chairs will have 2 administrators, 10 doctors, 2 nurses, a director, and 10 nurses. An accountant can work part-time.
A separate license is issued for each type of activity (surgery, pediatric dentistry, orthodontics). It is impossible to obtain a license without specialized education. Main requirements when choosing specialists:
- work experience;
- specialized education;
- good reputation;
- availability of medical books;
- availability of a license.
It is better to start choosing personnel at the stage of renovation of the premises. After the opening of the clinic, the staff will be staffed with the best specialists. The following requirements apply to dentists:
- diploma of residency;
- certificate in therapeutic dentistry;
- work experience of 5 years.
Personnel selection is considered a long and difficult process. The list of responsibilities of dentists is determined individually. If the clinic employs highly qualified specialists, then the number of clients increases every day.
Risks
It is necessary to understand that risks exist in any business. An entrepreneur must independently manage a dental business and control all processes. A doctor should not be involved in building business processes, developing a price list, or selecting equipment. Doctors can be entrusted with the construction of the treatment process.
Risks are associated with difficulties in obtaining licenses. The problem is that opening a dentistry requires large investments. It is necessary to correctly draw up a business plan that is well adapted to the economic conditions of a particular region.
A well-thought-out advertising campaign will help minimize risks. It is necessary to order a modern website for dentistry, advertise in the media and on local TV channels, order billboards and banners. One of the advertising options would be a catchy sign.
High tech
The innovation and modernity of the clinic is well emphasized by the interior in the Hi-Tech style. It combines comfort and dynamism. Such an interior is characterized by light, space and an abundance of technical innovations. Simple lines in furniture and decoration are complemented by high technology, creating a feeling that the future has already arrived.
Reception
The client area, designed in high-tech style, usually has a rather interesting but simple shape. It is distinguished by sharp angles, a combination of different materials, and a minimal amount of decor. As a rule, it is made of plastic, metal, glass or concrete, and volumetric lighting is used as decorative elements.
Reception in high-tech style
Reception in high-tech style
Lighting
An abundance of various simple-shaped metal lamps will be an excellent addition to the interior. However, spotlights mounted in the ceiling, as well as LED strips, are often used as the main light sources, emphasizing the clarity of the lines of furniture and architectural elements.
High-tech lighting
High-tech lighting
Client area
The interior in high-tech style is distinguished by its originality and simplicity of form. Therefore, in the waiting area, furniture of an unusual shape or color, made of plastic, glass or metal, which will add zest to the atmosphere, will look organic. Decorating walls or ceilings with volumetric elements can act as a decorative element without overloading the decor. An excellent addition to the interior would be a modern TV or advertising panel with a video telling about dentistry.
Client area in high-tech style
Client area in high-tech style
Entry group
The facade reflects the interior environment, so it should also be made using industrial materials (metal, plastic, etc.). A bright illuminated sign, chrome elements and unusual lighting will help create the necessary impression.
Entrance group to the high-tech site
Entrance group in hi-tech style
What else is needed at the stage of opening a dental clinic?
At the initial stage of opening a dentistry, it is important to automate the work of the institution. Modern programs allow you to automate the following work:
- controlling income and expenses;
- making an appointment with dentists;
- maintaining doctors' schedules;
- drawing up patient treatment plans;
- tracking business success from the first days;
- control the consumption of materials;
- tracking the effectiveness of special offers;
- analysis of patients' dental formula;
- calculation of salaries to employees.
Special software is designed to solve different problems. Registration, medical records, payroll, and warehouse records are maintained automatically. As a result, the consumption of materials is reduced, and the director of the dental clinic makes management decisions faster.
The program helps attract and retain customers and improve financial performance. Automatic filling of doctors' schedules saves time, and employee accounting makes it easy to manage the staff of a dental clinic. Modern software eliminates errors in business processes.