Major dental companies navigate tariff turmoil

Jeremy Booth, Dental Tribune International

Tue. 2. September 2025

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LEIPZIG, Germany: As dental companies continue to struggle under adverse market influences, the latest financial reports from major dental companies remind us that the industry is in a constant state of change and that tough market conditions also have their advantages. Five years of macroeconomic pressures have forced major dental companies to engage in heightened competition and to undertake future-proofing and contingency measures that may ultimately shore up the global delivery of oral care. During the second financial quarter of this year, the four largest dental companies further trimmed their operations and invested in local supply chains, focusing on growth markets and product categories.

Straumann Group navigating new global trade landscape

The US dollar experienced a notable weakening during the period, falling to a three-year low against other major currencies, and this had a significant impact on revenues and cost of sales for international dental companies. In the three-month period that ended on 27 June, currency volatility did not dampen Straumann Group’s stable performance, despite unusual sales dips being seen in North America and Latin America.  

The company said in an earnings release that North American consumers had remained cautious during the period, resulting in lower uptake of elective treatments, a soft orthodontics market and stymied patient flow. Implantology was the company’s main growth driver, helped by increased adoption of digital workflows. At CHF 171 million (€182 million*), North American sales were down by 5.9% but up by 2.7% on an organic basis.** 

Sales in Latin America, at CHF 57 million, showed a 1.0% drop and a 16.2% organic increase. Challenger implants—value category products competing alongside premium offerings—fuelled the company’s sales growth in the region, and Brazil and Mexico remained the largest contributors. 

In the Asia-Pacific region, where Straumann has continually gained strength and recorded phenomenal growth over subsequent quarters, CHF 169 million in revenue represented a 9.5% increase, or 16.4% organic sales growth. Strong patient flow and bulk dental implant procurement in China boosted Asia-Pacific sales, together with strong contributions from Australia, Japan, India and Thailand. 

In the company’s home region of Europe, the Middle East and Africa, positive sales trends in Germany, Spain, Turkey and Eastern European countries helped the company reach CHF 270 million in sales, representing 3.5% growth. Total revenue at Straumann during the quarter reached CHF 668 million, up by 1.9% year on year and by 9.3% on an organic basis. 

CEO Guillaume Daniellot told analysts that Straumann’s varied geographic presence, comprising 19 sites, was helping it to ease geopolitical complexities. “In particular, our strong local manufacturing presence in the US has proven essential,” he said, adding that value implants were still being manufactured in Brazil. “Amid the evolving landscape of global trade, including newly imposed tariffs, the group is proactively implementing a range of measures to mitigate its impact,” Daniellot said. 

The company’s new chief financial officer, Isabelle Adelt, told analysts that dental market conditions during the period had not significantly differed from those seen in the first three months of the year. Adelt joined the company after the close of the second quarter. 

Dentsply Sirona reshuffles leadership, raises expected tariff impact

Daniel Scavilla, Dentsply Sirona’s new CEO. (Image: Dentsply Sirona)

Dentsply Sirona reported net sales of US$936 million (€800 million*) for the second quarter, representing a year-on-year decline of 4.9%. The company recorded a non-cash charge of US$214 million during the period, attributed to the impairment of goodwill and other assets within its orthodontic and implant segment and connected technology segment. “These impairments were driven by the impacts from tariffs and lower volumes in implants and [prostheses] and equipment, due partly to competitive pressures,” the company specified in its earnings release. Dentsply Sirona posted a net loss of US$45 million for the period, compared with a net loss of US$4 million in the second quarter of last year. 

Sales of the company’s connected technologies fell by 3.8%, sales of essential dental solutions increased by 2.9% and those of orthodontic and dental implant products fell by 18.1%. US sales fell by 18.3% year on year, while those in Europe increased by 4.3%, despite a 4.7% foreign exchange headwind. Sales outside of those two regions were flat, up by only 0.5%. The company produces value implants in the Middle East, and the ongoing conflicts in the region caused logistical difficulties that had a negative impact on sales. 

During and prior to the quarter, Dentply Sirona reshuffled its top-tier management. Daniel Scavilla was named president and CEO, succeeding former CEO Simon Campion from 1 August. Matthew E. Garth was named executive vice president and chief financial officer, effective from 30 May. Garth told analysts in a webcast earnings call that the US$50 million annualised impact from trade tariffs, as announced in the first quarter, had been raised to US$80 million. 

In candid remarks to analysts, Scavilla said that his first steps as CEO required “working with the team and our customers to listen and learn, so we can prioritise and focus our approach before fully developing pathways”. 

Tariffs and reduced case starts hamper Align Technology

At Align Technology, total revenue of US$1.01 billion represented a 1.6% year-over-year drop and fell some two percentage points short of its projected revenue for the quarter. President and CEO Joseph Hogan attributed the earnings dip to contractions in sales of imaging systems and aligner revenues. He commented in the company’s earnings release that strong consumer interest in Invisalign treatment during the period was paired with uneven case conversion, resulting in a “lower than typical seasonal uptick in case starts which historically occurs late in the quarter”.

Totalling US$805 million, aligner revenue was down by 3.3%, and sales of imaging systems and CAD/CAM services, at US$208 million, increased by 5.6%. The company shipped 644,370 aligner cases during the period, a total roughly equal to that of the equivalent period last year. 

In the second quarter, Align Technology’s sales of imaging systems and CAD/CAM services increased by 5.6% year on year. (Image: Align Technology)

Hogan commented that trade tariffs and less affordable financing options had stalled sales. Furthermore, lacklustre patient volumes, orthodontic case starts and uptake of elective dental procedures had persisted in the period. Hogan said: “2025 marks the fourth consecutive year orthodontic starts are down, and third-party research reports indicate that practices that use both wires and brackets and clear aligners may have shifted more of their case starts to metal braces [in the quarter].” He added that economic uncertainty was negatively affecting consumer and clinical decision-making relating to aligner therapy case starts and that Align Technology expects flat year-on-year revenue growth for the full fiscal year. 

Having aligner therapy as its mainstay, Align Technology is more exposed to segment fluctuations than its competitors are. The company said it was undertaking cost-saving actions for the remainder of the year, reducing its global workforce by an unspecified number, optimising its manufacturing footprint and disposing of manufacturing capital assets as it transitions to higher degrees of automation at its manufacturing facilities. 

Envista Holdings raises guidance

In a breath of fresh air, Envista Holdings reported growth in all of its major business segments and operating regions in the second quarter, including for dental implant specialist Nobel Biocare in North America. Envista, which owns more than 30 dental brands, recorded total sales of US$682 million, up by 7.7% year on year. Sales of specialty products and technologies increased by 7.2% to reach US$445 million, and those of equipment and consumables increased by 8.7% to reach US$237 million. 

The company’s highlights in the period included volume growth in brackets and wires, as well as in diagnostics and implants. Sales of Envista’s premium implants delivered positive sales growth globally, and developments in its dental support organisation (DSO) business provided grounds for optimism. CEO Paul Keel explained to analysts: “[We] drove further penetration in both DSOs and emerging markets. With respect to the former, we have now installed DEXIS CBCT [units] and DTX [artificial intelligence] implant planning in all 1,000-plus sites of one of the largest DSOs in America.” Regarding emerging markets, Keel said that the company had delivered double-digit growth during the period across the Latin America, Indo-Pacific, Middle East and Africa regions. 

“We continue to expect our supply chain, pricing and cost-savings actions to offset the impact of increased tariffs.”—Paul Keel, CEO, Envista Holdings  

Envista continued to invest in its supply chain, notably incorporating a local-for-local strategy to support global sales and avoid trade tariffs. The company has announced plans to expand its manufacturing footprint in China with a new site producing aligners, dental implants, brackets, wires and diagnostic equipment. Eric Hammes, chief financial officer at Envista, told analysts: “For the full year, we continue to expect our supply chain, pricing and cost-savings actions to offset the impact of increased tariffs.” 

Commenting on the global dental market during the second quarter, Keel told analysts that the macroeconomic situation during the period had been incrementally better than in the first quarter of this year. He explained that, in addition to lower unemployment and reduced interest rates in many markets, the company had noted an uptick in consumer confidence. “Both the June and the preliminary July numbers were pointed northward, which helps,” Keel said. The company increased its full-year guidance for core sales growth** to within a range of 3%–4%, up from a range of 1%–3%. 

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