TORONTO, Canada: The dental implant market, consisting of implants, abutments, and other devices, in Europe was valued at approximately US$1.6 billion in 2012. Until the end of this year, the market will continue to contract slightly. It is expected to recover, however, and reach a value of just under US$2.3 billion by 2021.

was written by:

Carmen Chang

Germany reigns as the largest market, worth over US$300 million in 2012—almost the equivalent of France and Spain combined. Overall, these two countries have the lowest growth rates, with both suffering from either low GDP growth or high unemployment rates along with overall concerns regarding unsustainable national debt levels.

Demand for dental implant treatment continues to be fuelled by the ageing population. The US Census Bureau forecasts that the population aged 65 and older in Europe’s seven key markets will grow at an average compound annual growth rate of approximately 1.5% until 2021, whereas the total population will only grow at approximately 0.3% per year. As people age, their oral health tends to deteriorate, resulting in edentulism, for which implant restoration is increasingly becoming a recommended treatment option.

For most European patients, dental implant procedures are considered elective and need to be paid out-of-pocket by patients. As a result, financial considerations are among the most important factors influencing patients’ decision to undergo these treatments. The unstable economy has resulted in increased patient hesitance to seek dental implant treatment and in higher preference for lower-risk and less-costly traditional procedures and products, such as traditional loading (instead of immediate functional loading) and screw-retained abutments (over cement-retained ones).

Aside from the economy, countries such as Sweden and the Netherlands have experienced drastic shifts due to changes in government reimbursement. In the past year, both countries’ markets have suffered declines due to governments proposing changes to reimbursement. This uncertainty regarding dental implant treatment coverage has fuelled physician and patient reluctance to perform and undergo procedures.

The current dental implant market is defined by a never-ending number of competitors in the marketplace. Competition will become increasingly fierce with the recent merger of DENTSPLY Friadent and Astra Tech Dental to form DENTSPLY Implants, placing the company in direct competition with market leader Straumann for the top spot. While physicians and other competitors still perceive the two as separate brands, DENTSPLY Implants’ wider product portfolio and greater focus on the implant business will likely change this. Furthermore, smaller competitors are currently penetrating the market with a strategy that focuses on offering products at lower costs to entice dentists, which is especially attractive in times of economic uncertainty.

The most growth for the dental implant market will stem from Eastern European countries that are relatively underdeveloped. These countries tend to have the lowest implant and procedural costs, which are attractive to patients who reside in neighbouring countries. In particular, the Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland will benefit the most from patients travelling to these countries to undergo dental implant therapy.

Tapered implants are gaining popularity, especially as older dentists retire and are replaced by recent graduates. CAD/CAM custom-milled abutments are expected to experience the strongest growth among all product categories in the dental implant segment, stemming from high demand for aesthetic restorations. Despite slower adoption rates in the next couple of years, growth rates will accelerate with economic recovery.