By Denise Marks, Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President of CareQuest Institute for Oral Health
January is all about planning. Our calendars are filled with kickoff meetings and strategy sessions that set the tone for the rest of the year and determine where we’ll focus our dollars and our hard work. It’s exciting and energizing, especially in the oral health space, where the potential for growth is huge: As our recent Rock Health report found, 25% of all deals and 20% of all investment dollars for digital dental health startups occurred between 2023 and H1 2024, suggesting investment momentum in the category. Early market leaders are integrating oral and medical health services, and new technologies are improving patient workflows and care coordination — together reducing cost and improving clinical outcomes.
Below are our predictions for the trends that will dominate the oral health space this year and beyond.
1.AI startup solutions that aid in oral health–linked disease diagnosis, treatment, and care planning will be critical areas of investment for digital health venture capital in 2025. It’s clear that VC interest in oral health investments is increasing, reaching over $400M in 2024 alone. With that number expected to increase, one key area will be in AI — specifically, AI technologies that address the demand for more personalized care for diseases linked to oral health. This will come from solutions that integrate data from sources such as dental scans and wearable health devices to predict oral health issues and empower prevention before they escalate into costly, life-threatening illnesses.
2. Interoperability technology that streamlines dental data sharing between health systems will be essential to advancing medical-dental integration. Successful startup solutions will enhance interoperability to provide not only dentists but also primary care physicians, specialists, and even pharmacists with a more holistic view of patient health. And the desire is there: According to a 2023 study, 100% of dental providers would like the ability to view their patients’ medical information. By 2030, we may see the development of a unified digital infrastructure where dental records are automatically shared between electronic health record (EHR) systems, dental software, and wearables, with a special focus on predictive technology.
3. Over the next few years, the industry will see a surge in education and awareness campaigns, aimed at both patients and health care providers, about the role that oral health plays in maternal health. More investors and digital health startups are starting to realize that oral health is more than just a dental issue — it’s a systemic concern. This shift is creating an opportunity for cross-industry collaboration, where companies specializing in maternal health will partner with oral health innovators to integrate oral care into comprehensive care practices — specifically, for assessing maternal health risks, driving earlier interventions, and improving pregnancy outcomes.
4. The growing recognition of oral health’s impact on a business’s bottom line will prompt employers to push for expanded dental coverage that offers more comprehensive care. Reports increasingly show that oral health is directly linked to productivity, absenteeism, and employee well-being. The productivity losses tied to oral health problems — whether from missed work due to dental pain or the time employees spend caring for family members’ dental issues — represent a massive hidden cost to businesses, often overlooked in traditional health insurance models. This will lead more employers to start treating dental care as a core component of wellness programs, and not just a fringe benefit. The shift will also put pressure on the broader insurance industry to rethink the way dental insurance is structured, moving from a subsidy model to a more robust coverage option.
5. As teledentistry becomes more widely used, advocacy around telehealth will be key to ensuring these services receive fair reimbursement and are integrated into the broader health system. The shift toward virtual care has proven its value — offering convenience, expanding access, and reducing costs — but without continued advocacy, reimbursement models could lag, leaving many providers underpaid. In the coming years, a policy push will be necessary to secure reimbursement for teledentistry, especially as more patients turn to virtual consultations for routine dental care and follow-up visits. Advocates will need to fight to ensure that third-party payers such as Medicaid recognize teledentistry not as a temporary fix but as a long-term solution for improving access to care, particularly for low-income and/or underserved populations.
6. Reimbursement and policy will be the drivers for integrating oral health screenings into routine health checkups. As the link between oral health and chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease, and even pregnancy complications becomes evident through research, policymakers and insurers alike will recognize the cost-saving potential of addressing oral health at the same time as overall health. This will push insurers to expand coverage for oral health screenings, making them as routine as any other health checkup. For clinicians, reimbursement models will evolve to reward preventive care, encouraging providers to view oral health as integral to overall health — not a separate, secondary concern.
7. Incentives will be a game changer for advancing whole-person health through oral health. We’re at a crucial inflection point where awareness of the oral-systemic connection — the impact oral health has on chronic conditions like diabetes and heart disease — is finally gaining traction. However, awareness alone won’t be enough. Investors will need to see the potential for ROI in oral health integration, while health care payers will increasingly recognize that addressing oral health early and proactively can drastically reduce the total cost of care.
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