Newsletter
According to DISSIAD president and Öncü Dental chairman Yuksel Akyol, who spoke to members of the press about last year’s IDEX in Istanbul, the Turkish dental industry currently exports dental equipment worth US$50 million. The majority of dental equipment used in the country however is imported and, with a few exceptions, most foreign manufacturers operate through local partners. The size of the overall market, including equipment and dental consumables, is estimated to be €150 million, which is significantly lower compared with other countries in Europe, such as Germany, which boasts a market worth over €3 billion.
With rates of 6 to 7 per cent per year, however, the Turkish dental market is currently growing faster than all major markets on the continent combined.
Products most in demand are imaging devices, dental lasers and implants. In fact, Turkey has become one of the fastest-growing markets in the implant segment, congruent with strong economic growth that weathered the recession far better than the US and nearly any region in Europe. According to a report by Canadian market research provider iData Research published by Dental Tribune last year, the Turkish dental implant, final abutment and computer-guided surgery segment is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 20.4 per cent from 2008 to 2018. In order to benefit from low labour costs, among other factors, foreign implant companies, such as the Thommen Medical from Switzerland, who recently signed a distribution agreement with BioPort in Istanbul, have begun to establish domestic subsidiaries or local distribution partners, which are constantly expanding consumers’ options.
Implants are also developed and manufactured in the country. Istanbul company AGS Medikal Ürünleri was the first to start domestic production of fixed tooth replacements in 2011. Meanwhile, other companies, including Dental Implant KA, have followed in its footsteps and have begun manufacturing their own implant solutions. According to market experts, they will be able to compete internationally in the long run owing to their price advantage.
Demand for dental equipment will be also fuelled by an increase in public health spending, as well as dental tourism, which will require dentists, particularly in private practice, to update their equipment and technical knowledge in the next few years. According to reports by Turkish newspaper the Hürriyet Daily News, who spoke to President of the Health Tourism Board Dr Dursun Aydın last year, Turkey currently generates revenues of €1 billion from foreign patients, with most people coming from the US and countries in Europe with high treatment costs, such as Germany and the UK. Market observers currently estimate the potential size of this market to be €3 billion.
