Straumann, Nobel Biocare, DENTSPLY take advantage of growing dental implant demand in Europe

Market penetration levels for dental implants vary significantly across the European market. Countries such as Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Germany, Benelux and Scandinavia represent more highly penetrated dental implant markets. On the other hand, France and the U.K. are far less penetrated and bear a greater pool of potential dental implant patients. It is expected that the French market for dental implants will begin to demonstrate more significant growth throughout the forecast period.

"The European market is demonstrating a shift towards price-cutting discounts and value implant options," explains Dr. Kamran Zamanian, CEO of iData. "This, in turn, has largely depressed prices and handicapped the overall market value growth. The growing prevalence and popularity of discounted products have therefore led to premium implant companies levying larger discounts on their products."

Governments in Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland offer some reimbursement for dental implant procedures. However, even with reimbursement, costs associated with implant procedures tend to be higher than alternative treatments. Partially as a result of these policies, Sweden and Switzerland have some of the highest per capita implant rates in the world. Additionally, the Netherlands has experienced incredibly rapid dental implant market growth since the introduction of its reimbursement policy in 2005. Most private health and dental insurance policies do not cover dental implants, but a few high-end policies do. However, only a small percentage of the population in Europe is covered by such policies.

The dental implant market is not a commodity market. Large, established companies have built up strong brand recognition and a certain degree of customer loyalty. This, combined with the fact that the cost of the implant is only a small part of the cost of the procedure, allows established companies to price their products at a high premium relative to smaller companies who do not have the same level of brand recognition.

Straumann holds the leading position in the dental implant market in Germany, Spain, Benelux, Austria and Switzerland. Straumann benefits from a relatively stable customer base, even in regions like Germany, where a high level of competitive pressure exists from local value and discount implant companies. In Germany for example, the largest contributing factor to growth in recent years has been the company's campaign which offered a free upgrade from titanium implants to the new higher strength Roxolid® material. Additionally, Straumann lowered the price of their basic titanium SLA® implant to compete within the value segment. The company also invested in a number of value and discount brands that cater to the European market including: Neodent, Biodenta, Medentika and MegaGen.

In France, Nobel Biocare continued to hold the market leading position despite sluggish growth in the region. Overall, Nobel Biocare held the second leading position within the dental implant market in Europe. DENTSPLY Implants hold the third leading position in Europe. The progression of DENTSPLY's market share is a primary result of their acquisition of Astra Tech in August 2011. In the U.K., DENTSPLY emerged as the market leader, closely followed by Straumann. Other competitors in the European dental implant market include BIOMET 3i, CAMLOG, Sweden & Martina, Zimmer Dental, MIS Implant, BEGO, Global D, Klockner, BioHorizons, Implant Direct, BTI, Phibo, MegaGen, Bredent, Osstem, Anthogyr, Medentis, and Southern Implants among others.

For Further Information
More on the dental implant market in Europe can be found in a report suite published by iData Research entitled the European Markets for Dental Implants, Final Abutments and Computer Guided Surgery. The suite covers reports on the following markets: Dental Implant Fixtures, Final Abutments, and Computer Guided Surgery.

The iData report series on dental implants covers the U.K., Italy, Spain, Benelux, Scandinavia, Austria, Switzerland, Portugal, Germany, France, the U. S., Canada, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, and Argentina. Reports provide a comprehensive analysis including units sold, procedure numbers, market value, forecasts, as well as detailed competitive market shares and analysis of major players' success strategies in each market and segment. To find out more about dental implant market data or procedure data, register online or email us at info@idataresearch.net for a European Markets for Dental Implants, Final Abutments and Computer Guided Surgery brochure and synopsis.

About iData Research
iData Research (www.idataresearch.com) is an international market research and consulting group focused on providing market intelligence for medical device and pharmaceutical companies. iData covers research in: Dental Prosthetics, Dental CAD/CAM Devices, Dental Bone Graft Substitutes, Dental Operatory Equipment, X-Ray Imaging, Diagnostic Imaging, Operating Room Equipment, Surgical Microscopes, Robotics and Surgical Navigation, Laparoscopy, Urology, Gynecology, Vascular Access, Endoscopy, Interventional Cardiology, Cardiac Surgery, Cardiac Rhythm Management, Electrophysiology, Ultrasound, Oncology, Spinal Implants and VCF, Spinal MIS, Orthopedic Soft Tissue Repair and Regeneration, Orthopedic Trauma, Large & Small Joints, Anesthesiology, Wound Management, Orthopedics, Ophthalmics and more.