BENGALURU: About 30,000 dental students graduate every year. “While the college teaches them the technical aspects of dentistry, there is no curriculum on how to set up or manage a dental clinic. It takes `12 to 15 lakh to set up a clinic and many are not willing to take this risk. So most of them work for their seniors or their professors at salaries as low as `5,000 per month,” says Vivek Madappa, co-founder, MobiDent, adding that there have been cases where dental graduates have left their jobs to join a BPO, finding it more lucrative.
This inspired his idea to start MobiDent along with Dr Devaiah in 2014. Dr Devaiah’s experience as a dentist for 25 years and with his dental bus that he started in Switzerland in 2013 helped him turn the idea into reality.
“The aim is to create an organised industry for dentists and also change the way healthcare sector works.
We wish to make it affordable and accessible,” he shares.
In the next three years, MobiDent plans to hire 3,000 dentists and train 1,000 dental hygienists.
The startup currently functions with 33 dentists on board. “Our home dentists have over five years of experience and have performed more than 2,500 dental procedures. We largely focus on preventive dental treatments at homes. For serious and complicated treatments we begin the initial treatment at home and subsequently at a clinic,” explains Madappa.
The dentists they have on board are provided portable dental clinic and a portable chair, which weighs only 12 kilograms. By providing a dentist with a portable dental clinic in a suitcase, we are able to deliver dental care at their homes at times that are convenient to them and at significantly low costs.
They are also trained in communication skills and hospitality skill along with having empathy towards patients to gain their trust.
The startup has expanded its reach to other cities like Pune, Ahmedabad and Mysuru.
Their Family Dental Protection Plan costs `2,750 per annum for a family of four to five members where each member receives a mouth spa twice a year. It includes deep cleaning, plaque and tartar removal and polishing.
One can book their service on www.mobident.in/. Alternatively, you can call on toll free number 7676 132 132.