The state of today’s dental implant system market

The Dental implant market was valued at $4.38 billion in 2018 and has been projected by several economic reports to reach upwards of $8 billion by 2026, powered by the rapid expansion of the aesthetic dentistry in the United States and a growing geriatric population. The current estimate in the U.S. is that approximately 120 million Americans have at least one tooth missing, while there are more than 36 million edentulous Americans. According to a 2017 census, the U.S. market share is more than $1 billion, with Germany and Canada being the next countries in line, having market shares of more than $289 million and $84 million, respectively.

• The advancements in dentistry have increased the adoption of cad/cam technology. It has become quite popular over the years.
• Medical tourism is one of the major trends in dental industry and its popularity is increasing across the globe due to huge differences in the cost of dental treatment.

• Dental implants cost about $3,000 to $4,500 on average for a single tooth, which is expensive and for people who undergo replacement of complete set have to incur huge expenses.
• Lack of reimbursement coverage as most of the policies don’t cover the dental restoration.

• There is a rise in the popularity of cosmetic dentistry because of its aesthetic value.
• There is an increase in the demand for hybrid dental implant material and its success rate has increased the adoption of dental implants.

The Big 5: Introducing the market’s leading manufacturers

The current Dental Implant market is controlled by five major manufacturers who hold more than 50% of the production share, all based in developed countries, where the consumption growth rate outweighs that of the global growth rate. 

Straumann®

Straumann® is a Swiss-based company headquartered in Basel, with almost 6,000 employees and services available in more than 100 countries worldwide. They specialize in the development and production of dental implants, instruments and biomaterials for dental implant procedures. The company is also invested heavily in digital dentistry, increasing its holdings in 2017 by the acquisition of American digital dentistry provider Dental Wings. In the U.S. market, Straumann® is highly sought out for its dental implant fixtures, instrument kits and final abutment kits. 

Straumann® offers several types of implant systems that they have divided into six different lines, from tissue level to bone level implants, and each with unique neck and body engineering. Straumann® is widely known for their designs aimed at reducing healing time, achieving optimum osseointegration and ensuring maximum implant stability with their Morse taper and CrossFit connections.

Nobel Biocare® (Danaher)

Founded in 1981 and headquartered in Zurich, Nobel Biocare® is also a Swiss-based company. Nobel Biocare® has just under 3,000 employees and extends its products and services to more than 80 countries. The company specializes in the manufacturing of implant systems that feature a unique, cold-worked, pure titanium that provides unmatched strength, durability, stability and osseointegration. Nobel Biocare® also manufactures CAD/CAM prosthetics and other dental implantology solutions. 

Nobel Biocare®’s base design is a conical connection and all implants are designed with osseointegration as a primary focus.  With recent advances in their product lines, including their NobelActive™ product line and Nobel Biocare N1™ implant site preparation system that simplifies implant procedures, Nobel Biocare® has seen one of the more successful growths of the industry’s leading manufacturers over the past few years.   

Dentsply Sirona® (Formerly Astra Tech)

This young, American-based company was originally founded as Astra Tech® in 1991 and was acquired by Dentsply Sirona® in 2011. They currently operate out of York, Pennsylvania and boast an approximate 16,000 employees located in more than 40 countries worldwide and servicing more than 120 countries. The company’s rapid growth via a key acquisition of MIS Implants® in 2016 has made it the world’s largest dental product manufacturer. 

Dentsply Sirona® offers a wide range of products for dental implantology, as well as laboratory instruments, imaging systems and digital impressions. Their variety of internal-connection implants are designed to provide optimum aesthetics and long-term marginal bone maintenance.

Zimmer Biomet®

Zimmer Biomet® is one of the veterans of the prosthetic manufacturing industry, founded in 1927 and producing dental implants for over two decades. They service more than 100 countries worldwide and employ around 20,000 people. Their research and production focus is broader than their dental market competitors, with a heavy emphasis on regenerative materials such as membrane and collagen wound care and bone graft substitutes, expanding into the sports injury industry, as well. 

The internal hex connection is a signature of all Zimmer Biomet®’s dental implant designs. The company also prides itself on its ease of use implant systems and minimally aggressive/invasive surgical procedures. Zimmer Biomet® offers one of the widest ranges of implant lines, catering to every case’s specific needs.

BioHorizons®

BioHorizons® is one of the youngest dental implant companies on the market, forming in 1996 from a group of dental professionals out of the University of Alabama in Birmingham — one of the U.S.’s top dental schools. Being a university-based entity, research and engineering are innate driving forces for the company. They are based in Hoover, Alabama, selling their products to over 80 countries, as well as online, with subsidiary sales offices in Canada, Chile, the United Kingdom, Spain, Germany and Australia. Biohorizons® has just shy of 500 employees and is experiencing considerable growth, receiving a large equity investment and acquiring another small dental implant company both within the past ten years, as well as a $2 million expansion and addition of 60 jobs in 2019.

The signature design of the BioHorizons® implant system is a conical internal hex, with all designs focusing on durability, strength and functionality. Their ‘implant-abutment-abutment screw’ mating surfaces create a biological seal against the oral microbial environment.

A few others worthy of keeping on your radar

Apart from the already well-established Big 5, there are several Korean companies that have made their recent debut to the worldwide market and are performing impressively. 

MegaGen®

Established in 2002, MegaGen® is currently revenuing over $25 million annually. Headquartered in South Korea, the company has an additional 90 distributors and 12 affiliates located across more than 100 countries. Being another company founded and developed by dental professionals, MegaGen®’s philosophy is grounded in a holistic approach to implant dentistry. Their two implant systems, AnyRidge™ and AnyOne™ are equipped with an internal hex connection, making for a versatile system that is compatible with a range of prosthetic options.

Osstem® / Hiossen®

A leader in the Asia Pacific dental implant market, Osstem® / Hiossen® is a rapidly growing company that is rivaling the top competitors in the global market. With their state of the art production facility located in Pennsylvania, this South Korean based company is pushing its presence in the western market, after already conquering the Asian market. The company has subsidiaries in more than 20 countries and distribution in more than 70 countries, with an annual revenue of more than $500 million. The implant systems of Osstem® / Hiossen® are based off of a Morse taper connection, a design that benefits from an optimal hermetic seal.

An eye on the future

The dental implant industry’s rapid growth is propelling its technology forward at an equally quick rate. Manufacturers are now confidently able to offer dentists and their patients implant solutions that allow for ideal healing and longevity that was not available 20 years ago. Stay tuned as R&D continues to take swift steps forward over the next decade and more technological advances unfold before our eyes.