DONTE GROUP, the european oral care group, has been launched

The dental centres Vitaldent, Moonz, Smysecret and MAEX treat more than 8 million patients in the group’s nearly 400 centres in Spain

Javier Martín, CEO of DONTE GROUP: “We are moving towards an oral health sector that must be able to adapt its offer and its treatments to all types of patients and at different stages of life”

Industry experts debate the challenges of the oral health sector in Spain and analyze the access to dental services, costs and impact on quality of life

Madrid, September 21st of 2022.- The new dental healthcare group DONTE GROUP has been created with the purpose of responding to the needs within the market and to offer dental solutions for all stages of life. Nevertheless, the company does not start its journey today, it integrates long-established brands such as the dental clinics Vitaldent, Moonz and Smysecret. Furthermore, during the presentation event of the new corporate brand, Javier Martín, CEO of DONTE GROUP,has revealed the fourth firm that completes the group: MAEX, a new concept of specialized and select clinics that pursue dental expertise and excellence and that will receive between 40 and 50 million euros of investment.

“We are moving towards an oral health sector that must be able to adapt its offer and treatments to all types of patients and at different stages of life. DONTE GROUP is born with the purpose to contribute through our specialty brands to improve dentistry, society and the planet by making oral health accessible to everyone, especially those who need it most”, explained Javier Martín, CEO of DONTE GROUP,. Javier Martín, CEO of DONTE GROUP. “We want to continue to be the oral healthcare reference in Spain and we have our sights set on our internationalization and expansion throughout Europe”, he added.

The launch event of DONTE GROUP was also attended by Pedro Irigoyen Barja, Deputy Minister of Economic Management of the Community of Madrid; Cristina Rivero, Director of the Department of Industry, Energy, Environment and Climate and Secretary of the Health Commission of the CEOE, and Mar Paños, General Director of Economic and Industrial Promotion of the Community of Madrid and of the Ministry of Economy, Finance and Employment.

Experts discussed about the challenges of the oral health sector in Spain

Likewise, during the conference, the report “Challenges of the oral health sector in Spain” was presented, with a subsequent round table discussion moderated by the journalist María Casado. Dr. Clara Esteban, Medical Director of DONTE GROUP, presented the conclusions and highlighted that “it is necessary to develop a strategic plan that defines the objectives and means to improve the oral healthcare of the population and establishes the necessary mechanisms to guarantee territorial equity. Investment in the improvement of oral health care is a cost-effective health strategy, as it prevents and reduces the significant health and economic costs associated with oral healthcare problems”.
The report, produced by DONTE GROUP in collaboration with the University of Murcia, highlights the existence of four main challenges in the oral health sector in Spain. In the first challenge, Demonstrating the impact of oral health on quality of life, the importance of carrying out campaigns that transmit to the population the consequences of poor oral healthcare and the enormous impact that oral disorders have on the quality of life, in its physical, psychological and social dimension, and the economy of individuals and households, has been emphasized.

In the second of the challenges, Extending the coverage of oral healthcare services, it was noted that in 2020, 9.25% of the population reported having financial problems in accessing dental care. When addressing the expansion of the portfolio of oral healthcare services in the National Health System, it was recalled that, in addition to the need for a greater allocation of public resources, it is essential that the Administration relies on the capacity already installed by the private sector to provide coverage to a larger group due to the efficiencies of public-private collaboration.

Innovation: Advancing in the technological transformation of the sector is the third of the challenges, in which the evolution of the therapeutic value added to innovation has been highlighted and which has allowed for a greater effectiveness and increased safety of the new dental treatments with respect to the pre-existing therapeutic alternatives. On the one hand, the new digital technologies offer undeniable advantages such as high aesthetic and adaptive precision, speed in the manufacture of dental pieces, capacity for exhaustive planning of the intervention and reduction of patient visits to the clinic, among others. On the other hand, however, there are also disadvantages, such as the high cost of the equipment used to manufacture the parts, as well as some of the materials used in their production.

Finally, Strengthening patients’ trust in dentists shows that the number of registered dentists in Spain on January 1st 2022 reached 40,417. 97% of registered dentists work in the private sector, at one of the 23,000 registered dental clinics. One fact that has been highlighted is that, although 87 % of citizens believe that a visit to the dentist should be made at least once a year, in the last year only 51 % reported having visited the dentist. While dental fear or dental phobia fuels a negative perception of the dentist, patient satisfaction with the previous care received, the behaviour, experience and technical training of the professional are determining factors in society’s decision to visit the dentist.

DONTE GROUP aims to be a solution to these challenges, facilitating access to oral healthcare for everyone, offering innovative techniques supported by technology, helping to finance treatments and developing awareness campaigns, such as the “Lose the fear” study, to promote oral health and ensure that the population has a healthy mouth.

Also participating in the debate were Andrés Íñiguez Romo, President of the Spanish Heart Foundation; Enrique García López, spokesperson for the Organisation of Consumers and Users (OCU); José María Abellán, Professor of Applied Economics at the University of Murcia and contributor to the report; Margarita Gómez Sánchez, Vice-Dean of Dentistry at the European University; Diego Gómez-Costa Barcia, General Director of the University Clinic of the Rey Juan Carlos University; and Javier Vidal, Vice-President of Nobel Biocare Systems (Envista Group).

A group for every moment in life

DONTE GROUP has 4,500 professionals and 2,300 collaborating dentists who work to improve people’s quality of life thanks to a healthy mouth. During these 32 years, it has treated more than 8 million patients in the nearly 400 clinics that make up the group. Each of the brands adapts to the diverse reality that society represents, providing highly specialised and innovative solutions. The group is supported by Advent International as majority shareholder, one of the world’s largest and most experienced private equity firms.
Vitaldent remains the group’ s flagship brand, with 376 centers throughout Spain. Founded 32 years ago, the group’s longest-standing brand was the first network of clinics to launch a business model that facilitated access to oral health care for any patient through comprehensive treatments and technologies in a single center and consumer financing. A pioneer in the street-level clinic sector, it has brought quality comprehensive dentistry closer to society with the most advanced technology, the best treatments and professionals with proven experience.

Meanwhile, Moonz centres specialise in children’s orthodontics and paediatric dentistry, with presence in Spain (10 clinics in Madrid, 1 in Barcelona, 1 in Marbella and 1 in Bilbao) and the United Kingdom (one centre in London). Designed as open spaces, full of magic and colour, they encourage creativity, development and the acquisition of good habits, both inside and outside the clinic.

On the other hand, Smysecret spaces specialize in dental aesthetics treatments with quick, simple, comfortable and effective methods, at competitive prices. The brand offers comfortable and painless treatments such as invisible orthodontics, composite veneers, whitening and gingivoplasty. It currently plans to end the year with three flagship clinics in Madrid, Barcelona and Valencia and is also operating in 146 Smybox spaces and 2 Smycorner spaces integrated within Vitaldent clinics.

The oral healthcare group is now completed with MAEX, the brand that represents the highest quality and innovation in the sector and which is a new concept of dental medical quality that takes care of every detail of the process, generating an experience where innovation is at the centre of everything. MAEX is the result of the association of doctors with high expertise and recognised high performance in their specialities who are now backed by the power of DONTE GROUP‘s structure. These are reference and super-specialised clinics with a select group of doctors limited by area of dentistry and geography.

“We have launched MAEX MAEX with Dr. Cuevas and Dr. Queipo de Llano in Malaga, an advanced multidisciplinary Dentistry and Maxillofacial Surgery clinic that, with more than 30 years of constant updating, has become a dental reference”, said Javier Martín, CEO of DONTE GROUP,. Javier Martín, CEO of DONTE GROUP. “We will soon announce the names of other equally renowned doctors who want to join this project of reference centers”, he added.

About DONTE GROUP

DONTE GROUP is an oral healthcare group made up of specialised and innovative brands that aim to improve people’s quality of life through a healthy mouth at every moment of their lives. The group integrates the experience and specialisation of its brands Moonz, Smysecret, Vitaldent and MAEX. DONTE GROUP has a workforce of 4,500 professionals and 2,300 collaborating dentists. In its nearly 400 centres in Spain and one clinic in London, it has attended more than 8 million patients. Advent International is the majority shareholder of DONTE GROUP, one of the largest and most experienced private equity firms in the world.