Russians are busy smiling – Kommersant FM

Russians began to go to dental clinics more often: at the end of 2023, the number of payments for such services increased by almost a quarter, VTB calculated. According to analysts, citizens spent over 25 billion rubles on dental treatment, which is 16% higher than in 2022. Moreover, the demand for dental services grew throughout 2023. But the peak came at the end of the year – in the fourth quarter it increased by 23% compared to the third.

The trend is confirmed by the chief physician of the K+31 clinic network, Boris Churadze: “Indeed, the number of patients, revenue, and the number of services have increased by about a quarter. What are the reasons here? Many of those who used dental services, in particular, premium ones, left the country in 2022 and returned in 2023.

Then there is the issue of less availability of clinics in Western Europe and other countries. The next point is that the level of service in the Russian Federation is definitely no worse than many of the best foreign medical centers, this is objectively true.”

Against this background, the average bill in dentistry increased by 10%. Moreover, market participants said that prices for medical equipment, drugs and doctors’ services increased by one and a half to two times. Although the co-founder of the dental clinic Dentium, Oksana Andreeva, notes that in the end the growth was not so significant compared to 2022: “Prices increased very much during that period, because there was a very significant increase in the cost of various materials that we use in our work. In 2023, on the contrary, prices changed slightly.

I can’t say that in 2022 we experienced a big drop in attendance. We noticed that, on the contrary, there was a smooth growth in the number of clients already then and continues now. The most popular service in our clinic is therapeutic dentistry, restoration of the surface of teeth, treatment of caries, pulpitis and other types of inflammation. Patients pay a lot of attention to prevention, much more than in previous years.”

Market participants note that prices for dental services will continue to rise this year. However, the increase will be within 15%, as predicted by the Russian Dental Association. There this is associated with exchange rate fluctuations and the cost of imported components. But patients are now trying not to skimp on dental treatment, said Liliya Kuzmenkova, owner of Regale dental centers:

“When the panic of 2022 passed, people began to live normal lives: if you need to treat your teeth, then you need to do it. People with families come and maintain their health, get their teeth treated or get veneers. After COVID-19 and the start of the special operation in Ukraine, the value of health has increased. If previously patients were more interested in where services are cheaper, now they are ready to pay, the main thing is that everything is done efficiently.

Some even fly in from other countries and cities and undergo treatment for days or, figuratively speaking, go under anesthesia and ask: “Do everything to the maximum so that I wake up and be healthy.”

Against the backdrop of rising prices for dental services, some patients began to use voluntary health insurance policies more often. According to Rosgosstrakh, in 2023 the volume of payments for dental treatment exceeded 1 billion rubles. This is despite the fact that the dentist is not among the top 5 most popular doctors for VHI, the company noted.

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Vladislav Viktorov