In the fast-moving world, oral health has taken a backseat! With the increasing number of people suffering from dental anomalies, dental equipment and consumables are slated to emerge as viable solution in the dentistry industry.
- Oral diseases impact approximately 3.5 billion people worldwide
- Nearly 380,000 new cases of oral cancers are diagnosed every year
- Globally, 514 million children suffer from dental caries
- WHO’s Global Oral Health Status Report (2022)
The dentistry industry is revolutionizing with new tech innovations and equipment to tackle dental problems and achieve optimum oral hygiene. In 2022, W&H Group announced developing state-of-the-art technology and tools to streamline dental practices and make them more patient-friendly. The newly developed Lexa Plus sterilizer is a Class B sterilized dental tool for the North American market. The product offers energy-saving fast cycles, more capacity, high connectivity, and more traceability options, offering full protection for patients and medical professionals.
Moreover, the intervention of governmental bodies and launch of new policies to equip the countries with oral hygiene protocols, would draw attention toward dental equipment and consumables adoption in 2023 and beyond. Supporting the aforesaid, the Government of India had in early 2023, initiated a National Oral Health Program to offer holistic, integrated oral health care in the existing care facilities.
While the dental industry currently presents umpteen solutions for the fraternity, given below are 3 prominent dental equipment and consumables that would gain substantial traction in the coming years, offering a potential boost to the overall market:
- Dental lasers
‘According to a 2022 study in India, it was reported that about 15.4% of the dental professionals were using lasers while 75.7% of the participants showcased an interest in using lasers.’– Journal of Indian Association of Public Health Dentistry
In practice since 1994, dental lasers have now stood tall more as a necessity than a luxury in dentistry to treat various dental problems. Lasers are generally used by dentists for different treatments including gum diseases, tooth decay, teeth whitening, and lesion removal.
Some benefits that have been supporting the adoption of dental lasers over the recent years are reduced dependency on anesthesia, less pain and bleeding, increased precision and lower risks during treatment, and fast recovery. An important point to note here would be that laser treatment also reduces anxiety regarding the fear of dental procedures. Speaking of which, a 2021 survey in Saudi Arabia highlighted that approximately 23.9% of children fear dental treatments, while nearly 13.3% of adolescents suffer from dental treatment phobia. In such cases, the use of dental laser treatments would come in handy for practitioners.
Companies are leaving no stone unturned to gain a competitive advantage in the thriving dental lasers business landscape, and hence are putting their best foot forward to launch new products to comply with the latest standards. For instance, Health Canada offered a nod to Fotona’s SkyPulse platform. As per company reports, SkyPulse is a compact, contemporary, and portable digitally pulsed dental laser that can be customized to cater to the needs of individual dental practices.
‘Nearly 178 million Americans are missing at least one tooth, while 40 million Americans are missing all their teeth. Also, 30% of the adult population, between age groups 65-74, have no natural teeth’- American College of Prosthodontics
Dental prosthetics, including crowns or dentures, have come in handy for people with missing tooth/teeth. Reportedly, teeth loss is also linked with low self-esteem, which is why the sales of these dental consumables are incredibly rising worldwide. A study reported that an average of 19% of people across 19 different countries wear some form of denture. Likewise, approximately 2.3 million implant-supported crowns are made every year.
Dentures have left a notable mark in the dental prosthetics industry owing to their umpteen benefits for both the geriatric population as well as the younger age groups. Some of these attributes include:
- Easy maintenance
- Enhanced oral health
- Ease of food consumption
- Boosts self-confidence
Strategic partnerships and collaborations are undeniably supporting the dentures industry over recent years. In 2022, Western Dental & Orthodontics and Renew LLC announced a partnership to expand access to affordable and high-quality anchored denture solutions across the Texas and California markets.
‘Nearly 36% Americans have a fear of dental treatment.’- Cleveland Clinic
Patient discomfort and dental anxiety are the biggest challenges that dentists have been facing over the years. This can now be reduced by learning and proper practices, one of which is the use of dental syringes. The product is used for numbing the area of treatment as a part of the preparation for oral care procedures.
It would be essential to note that R&D projects are underway for dental syringes, and in the coming years, the dental syringes market is expected to soar to new heights.
Key Takeaway
Dental disorders or compromised oral health are no new thing. However, factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine war, and inflation have shifted the focus from these to other pain areas, eventually resulting in worsened oral hygiene cases or cancers. This is where the professionals in the dental industry are working effortlessly to introduce highly advanced dental equipment and consumables for the global population to ensure proper dental health.
Through 2032, the demand for these tools is likely to be felt across the developing countries of Asia Pacific such as India, China, Japan, and South Korea, given the growing awareness around oral hygiene.
