In conversation with Mr. Hovsep Mardikian, Regional Sales Director, 10x Immersive, we made an attempt to understand the Technological Advancements and the Demand of various Dental Services in Saudi Arabia.
“Hollywood Smile and Star Smile will lead the entire market in the future with technology playing a big role and over 40% of dentists adopting and evaluating different technology solutions for various dental procedures in KSA.”
Q1. How would you like to describe the Dental Industry in Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia has a large number of private clinics as well as the government owned free of cost dental clinics. The market is moderately fragmented due to the presence of a lot of public and private players, thereby increasing the competition in the dental market.
Q2. What are the main technological trends influencing the Saudi Arabian dental sector?
Technology plays a significant role in Saudi Arabia's market as 40% of the country's medical professionals are using and evaluating different tech products specifically for paediatric dentistry procedures. The use of virtual reality in paediatrics and pain management is becoming a major trend. The fields of orthodontics and paediatricians will be particularly impacted by the new VR advancements.
Q3. Can you tell me the top cities providing dental services in Saudi Arabia?
Majority of the dental clinics are located in Riyadh and Jeddah, followed by Al Khobar, Dammam and Mecca. The oldest and most developed cities are Jeddah and Riyadh, which have a lot of high-end dental clinics.
Q4. What is the state of dental tourism in Saudi Arabia?
Dental tourism in Saudi Arabia is very confined because of the continuously rising cost of dental services and the high insurance coverage penetration rate. Even with insurance, dental care is expensive in the KSA. Despite the fact that travel, housing, meals, and incidentals are added to the dental price, Saudi patients spend less on dental care in any other country.
Q5. What are the major dental services in Saudi Arabia dental services Market
Endodontics is dominating the KSA dental services market with more than 30% of the industry revenue followed by orthodontics and implantology in 2022. In the field of endodontics, the treatment is cheaper than the other types of dental treatments as well as it satisfies the ultimate goals of patients visit such as pain relief, psychological discomfort, aesthetics and social disability. Therefore, since 2013 we have seen an increased and exponential demand of endodontic treatment in KSA.
Q6. What was the market position during COVID and what influence has COVID had?
Dental services in KSA have been influenced by Covid, and there has been a drop of 40–50% in patient numbers. However following Covid, patient numbers increased by +80% as compared to the post covid era.
Q7. What proportion of total dental services market revenue is generated by private hospitals?
Private hospitals currently account for 15% to 20% of the total revenue in the KSA dental services business, however as organised dental chains offer a wide range of services under one roof and there are facilities shortages and lengthy wait times in hospitals, their market share will gradually decline.
Q8. How will cosmetic dentistry develop and expand in the coming years?
The Hollywood Smile treatment is a set of smile cosmetic dentistry techniques to restore white and aligned teeth. Hollywood Smile and Star Smile will drive the demand for cosmetics as the material cost is decreasing and Saudis are very careful for their smile and aesthetics which is driving the growth of the Saudi Dental Services Market.
Q9. What do you think is the future outlook of the Saudi Dental Industry?
Laser dentistry is expected to acquire substantial momentum in the dental services industry due to the benefits it provides by removing the need for surgical instruments. Dental clinics are expected to be the end-user with the lion's share of the dental services industry. Rising mergers and partnership between insurance companies and dental clinics are likely to boost the dental services market growth.
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