3 July 2012
Today, Bupa announced a multi-million pound investment to grow its dental business and become one of the largest private dental chains in the UK by 2015.
The healthcare group plans to add up to 50 additional private dental centres to its existing portfolio, increasing Bupa's presence in dentistry by as much as five-fold.
The new centres will provide customers with high quality, affordable dentistry in major UK cities. They will be located close to where people work, with appointments available outside of traditional office hours.
Stuart Fletcher, Chief Executive, Bupa said;
“Customers tell us that they want convenient, high quality, good value dental care and this is something that we are able to deliver. Bupa has been in the business of healthcare for over sixty years, and because we have no shareholders, we can invest the money we make into more and better healthcare. This major investment in private dentistry is part of our long-term commitment to investing in healthcare in Britain.”
Bupa dental centres:
Are open to all and provide a wide variety of dental care from routine examinations to specialist treatments such as oral surgery as well as cosmetic dental treatments.
Are led by experienced clinicians, working to the highest clinical standards and using the latest technology.
Offer a wide range of ways to pay, including pay as you go, great value dental insurance and 0% financing options.
The private dentistry market is currently worth £2.4bn. The market is forecast to grow at 2.7%pa over the next 5 years[1] reflecting the greater numbers of patients visiting a dentist and accessing a wider variety of treatments.
Bupa has operated dental centres in the UK since 1999 and currently looks after around 13,000 people in 11 centres. Bupa also insures or funds over 130,000 dental customers through dental insurance and cash-plans.
Bupa has operated a successful chain of dental centres in Spain for the past 12 years; serving over 650,000 customers, with 81 dental clinics distributed throughout the country. Last year Bupa's Spanish business Sanitas, announced the expansion of its dental business which included a 70 million Euro investment to grow its dental network to 200 dental centres by 2014.