Major dental manufacturers report resilient first quarter

Jeremy Booth, Dental Tribune International

Mon. 8. June 2026

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LEIPZIG, Germany: First-quarter results from four of the dental industry’s largest manufacturers suggest that the global dental market entered 2026 on steadier footing, even as companies continued to navigate geopolitical uncertainty and China’s shifting procurement landscape. Straumann Group, Align Technology, Dentsply Sirona and Envista Holdings Corp. each reported signs of resilience, although their results showed uneven growth across regions and product categories. This article examines the companies’ performance during the period and what their results indicate about the direction of the global dental market for the remainder of the year.

Straumann Group reports signs of stabilisation in China

Straumann, a global leader in implant and digital dentistry, banked CHF 673 million (€733 million^*) in sales in the first quarter, representing a year-on-year decline of 1.2%. Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Isabelle Wege told investors in an earnings call that organic revenue growth in the quarter had reached 7.1% and that the decline in Swiss francs reflected currency headwinds, mainly because the US dollar and the euro weakened against the Swiss franc.^**

At CHF 288 million, sales in the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region increased by 3.0% year on year and by 7.8% on an organic basis. CEO Guillaume Daniellot told investors in the same call that the organic growth recorded in the region was widespread and supported by strong sales in Spain, Austria and Poland.

In North America, where major dental manufacturers posted mixed results throughout last year, Straumann’s sales dipped but remained buoyant when currency fluctuations were excluded. At CHF 175 million, sales were down by 5.6% year on year and up by 7.7% on an organic basis. Daniellot commented that increasing adoption of the company’s digital workflows and expansion of customer partnerships in the region boosted the result.

In Asia-Pacific, the delayed next round of the Chinese government’s volume-based procurement (VBP) process for dental implants blunted the sales growth recorded in India, Japan and Southeast Asian markets. At CHF 147 million, sales in the region declined by 9.3% year on year and were broadly flat on an organic basis. This was a substantial improvement on the 12.8% organic revenue decline recorded in the previous quarter. Daniellot also commented that market conditions in China appeared to be stabilising.

“The impact from the current geopolitical environment remains limited, reflecting the resilience of our diversified footprint and global manufacturing set-up.”
Isabelle Wege, chief financial officer, Straumann Group

As a top dental implant manufacturer, Straumann is one of the companies that has benefited substantially from China’s remaking of the Asia-Pacific dental market through VBP. For example, in the first and second quarters of last year, the company recorded year-on-year organic growth of 23.0% and 16.4%, respectively. These results were driven by strong patient demand linked to the VBP programme.

After Asia-Pacific, Latin America is Straumann’s second emerging, high-growth market, and it once again delivered exceptional performance for the company. Straumann posted sales of CHF 62 million—a year-on-year gain of 16.3% and 19.5% organic growth. Daniellot said that momentum in Brazil was particularly strong in the period and that high demand for challenger category dental implants and digital solutions boosted results in Mexico and Argentina.

Wege explained that global manufacturing and supply chain investments made by Straumann in previous quarters had begun to support cost-efficiency in operations and a reduction in the company’s exposure to currency headwinds. But the benefits of the company’s local-for-local focus appeared to extend beyond currencies. Wege commented: “The impact from the current geopolitical environment remains limited, reflecting the resilience of our diversified footprint and global manufacturing set-up.”

Align Technology increases Invisalign shipments

At Align, owner of exocad and manufacturer of Invisalign, revenue for the first quarter reached US$1.04 billion (€905.59 million^*), a year-on-year increase of 6.2%. The company banked US$856 million from sales of aligners, up by 7.4%, and US$184 million in revenue from imaging systems and CAD/CAM services, a marginal increase of 0.9%.

A chief measure of Align’s performance is the volume of aligners it ships, and this totalled 685,700 cases during the period, up by 6.7% year on year. The volume increase was supported by sales growth in the EMEA, Asia-Pacific and Latin America regions. President and CEO Joseph M. Hogan said in the company’s earnings call that shipments in North America were stable, but represented a modest year-on-year decline. Hogan, who reported mixed market conditions in the region in the middle of last year, said that conditions had improved in Canada and remained challenging in the US.

A total of 449,000 adults worldwide were treated with Invisalign during the period, up 7.8% year-on-year. Aligner therapy in younger patients is a crucial growth area for Align, and 237,000 teenagers and children began Invisalign treatment during the first quarter. This represented an increase of 4.8%, supported by higher demand in China and Latin America and by increasing adoption of Invisalign First, Invisalign treatment employing mandibular advancement with occlusal blocks, and the Invisalign Palatal Expander.

During the period, Align’s dental support organisation (DSO) business continued to contribute to the company’s growth. DSO aligner volumes increased by double digits, accounting for around 25% of global volumes. Furthermore, Hogan said: “We remain encouraged by how naturally our digital platform fits with DSO operating models.” He added that this closer integration supported increased Invisalign adoption and greater utilisation of iTero intra-oral scanners.

Commenting on the impact of the war in the Middle East on the company’s operations, CFO John F. Morici told analysts that the overall impact on EMEA sales had been immaterial. He said that customers in the region had reported lower patient traffic and therapy conversion rates and that the company was taking a prudent approach by assuming that the conflict would have some effect on second-quarter results.

Morici said: “Beyond the second quarter, it becomes increasingly difficult to predict how the conflict in the Middle East will affect our business, particularly in the event of further escalation, sustained constraints on oil and gas supplies, or broader softening in consumer and patient sentiment.”

Dentsply Sirona advances on return-to-growth goal

Dentsply Sirona continued to right its course during the period. The major global manufacturer of dental equipment has struggled to post a profit over consecutive quarters. The company’s mission to return to growth has involved substantial commercial restructuring, which appears to be paying off.

Sales of US$880 million in the first quarter were flat, and the company reported a net loss of US$10 million. This result was substantially better than that for the third and fourth quarters of last year, when the company lost US$427 million and US$145 million, respectively.

At US$246 million, global sales of connected technology solutions were up by 4.4% year on year. Sales of essential dental solutions fell by 0.9% to US$350 million, and those of orthodontic and implant solutions (OIS) fell by 8.1% to US$199 million.

Daniel Scavilla, CEO at Dentsply Sirona, told Dental Tribune International in May that his main priority this year is to put the company’s US business in a strong position. (Image: Dentsply Sirona)

CEO Daniel Scavilla told Dental Tribune International in May that his main priority this year is to put Dentsply Sirona’s US business in a strong position to shore up its broader global operations. First-quarter sales of connected technology solutions in the Americas increased by 1.9% year on year; however, declines of 7.3% and 23.7% were recorded for sales of essential dental solutions and OIS, respectively. In the EMEA region, all three product categories provided year-on-year sales growth, although each declined when exchange rate movements were excluded. In Asia-Pacific, only OIS recorded a year-on-year decline.

Scavilla told analysts in the Dentsply Sirona earnings call that the company had advanced its commercial restructuring in the US during the quarter and that it had begun to expand its clinical education and sales force training. “From my perspective, we are where we expect it to be at this early stage. We are executing the plan as intended and remain focused on improving speed and accountability,” Scavilla said.

Envista Holdings emphasises dental industry resilience

For the first quarter, Envista, which owns more than 30 dental brands, posted sales of US$706 million. This represented year-on-year growth of 14.4% and 9.5% core sales growth.^** Compared with the first quarter of last year, the company invested 18.5% more into research and development and increased operating profit by 60%.

CEO Paul Keel told investors in the company’s earnings call that Envista’s global sales of orthodontic and diagnostic products, dental consumables and dental implants increased during the period. Sales in both North America and Europe increased by double digits, and those in most developing dental markets grew by single digits. The exceptions were China, where sales decreased ahead of expected VBP processes for dental implants and orthodontic appliances, and unspecified Middle Eastern markets, where the conflict in the region affected the company’s results.

“There continues to be no shortage of exogenous factors demanding attention.”
Paul Keel , CEO, Envista Holdings

Commenting on the double-digit decrease in China, CFO Eric Hammes said that the company expects the VBP processes for orthodontics and dental implants to begin in the second or third quarter of this year. He added, however: “We don’t have certainty on either of those.”

Summarising the quarterly performance, Keel said: “There continues to be no shortage of exogenous factors demanding attention, but specific to what we can control, we’re encouraged by our progress.” He explained that low consumer confidence and international trade tariffs had left dental markets unsettled last year and that the company was assessing possible impacts of the war in the Middle East on dental markets, including through a rise in inflation and fuel costs. However, he said that the direct impact on the global dental market had so far been minimal, and he emphasised: “As this audience knows well, dental has proven its resilience.”

Editorial note:

^* Calculated on the OANDA platform for 31 March 2026.

^** Organic and core sales growth metrics exclude the effects of acquisitions, divestitures and currency effects to focus on underlying business growth.