1.1 Definition and presentation

The market for dentures or dental implants involves the manufacture and distribution of equipment for the functional and aesthetic restoration of teeth. There are three different solutions aimed at restoring total or partially missing teeth:

Fixed dentures
Implant
Removable prosthetics

In the following practice, both fixed and mobile implants are grouped under the nomenclature of dentures or dental implants. Prostheses are made either manually or with computer-aided design (CAD) systems. We identify different types of dental prostheses available in the market:

Metal dentures
Synthetic resin dentures
Ceramic dentures (with or without metal framework)
Zirconia dentures

The European denture market is dominated by Germany and Italy, which have a large number of laboratories producing dentures. The Italian dental sector is driven by the rapid development of new technologies, at the top among all categories, the best performance is recorded precisely by prostheses. The number of laboratories has remained fairly stable in recent years, but the percentage of those using digital solutions is growing, undoubtedly making the scenario more competitive at the expense of traditional laboratories.

1.2 Impressive global growth in implantology

The dental implant market is a subsegment of the broader medical implant market. Implantable medical devices are distinguished according to the medical field of application into:

Orthopedics Cardiovascular Ocular Dental Other

The medical implant market by region World, ****-****, in billions of USD Source: ****

The global medical implants market is expected ...

1.3 An estimate of the size of the Italian market

Introduction

It is not easy to estimate the size of the Italian dental prosthesis market, given the difficulty of unambiguously defining the terms "prosthesis" and "implant" dentistry. Indeed, we will see in the section on supply analysis the multiplicity of adoptable dental solutions and their interconnection. An appropriate measurement for estimating ...

1.4 International Dental Prosthesis Exchange

In ****, Italian exports of dental prostheses totaled about $**.* million, marking a ** percent increase over the previous year. On the other hand, imports fell sharply from $**.* million to $**.* million in ****-****, a drop of ** percent. The trade balance as of **** appears positive by far, marking an import/export coverage rate of ***.* ...

2.1 The Italian problem of edentulism

According to Doxa's survey in collaboration (***), **% of Italians claim to suffer from partial or total edentulism, translated this figure states that only * in * Italians retain all their natural teeth after the age of **. In ****, Italians between ** and ** years of age amounted to about **.* million.[***] This translates into about **.* million Italians missing ...

2.2 Oral health of Italians

Italians' relationship with oral hygiene is a key element in the evolution of dental implants. The attention paid to oral health is undoubtedly a variable related to the demand for dental services. According to CosmeticaItalia, Italian consumption of oral hygiene products shows a slightly declining trend in the period between **** and ...

2.3 Individual responsibility drives edentulism

In general, according to Italians, the causes of tooth loss are attributable to individual responsibility. In fact, only **% link edentulism to exogenous factors and the remaining **% to pathological situations.

Perception of causes of tooth loss by macrocategory Italy, ****, in % Source: ****

A more detailed analysis of the causes attributable to the problem ...

2.4 Edentulism affects older people and involves a large investment

New demographics

The largest age group in Italy is the so-called "over **s," which defines about **.* percent of the entire population. Istat data show that in ****, for the first time since ****, this age group surpassed the "over **s." In addition, half of the population is over ** years old. These numbers denote ...

3.1 A look at the dental industry value chain

The dental market appears to be divided into different categories:

Dental equipment manufacturers Distributors of dental equipment Private dental centers Public dental centers

The following is an overview of the supply chain of the Italian dental market. The sell-in sector refers to the value of production in ****, which amounted to approximately ...

3.2 Italian production driven by exports

The Italian manufacturing market in the dental sector boasts an international reputation. Manufacturing has followed a strong upward trend since ****-except for the years immediately following the economic crisis, which was characterized by stagnation. In fact, the numbers show impressive growth that reached *** million euros in value in ****, marking a +*.* percent ...

3.3 The distribution channels of the market

As mentioned, the distribution system of the dental market has a fragmented image, punctuated by the participation of multiple distribution channels and a multiplicity of players:

Direct sales Mail order sales Wholesale distribution

The downward trend in wholesale distribution is explained partly by the stagnant trend in production destined for the ...

4.1 An overview of possible solutions to edentulism

As mentioned several times, the term edentulism refers to the lack of one or more teeth. Just as there are different causes that influence the issue, there are also many solutions. Next to dentures, a method that came into use around the ****s and is now a cheaper remedy, there are ...

4.2 High costs for Italian dental care

Geographical breakdown

The ANDI (***) has published a fee schedule concerning the cost of dental implantology:

The cost of an osseointegrated implant varies between *** and **** euros The cost of a diameter implant ranges between *** and **** euros.

Undoubtedly, the oscillation of prices varies depending on many criteria, for example, the material used, the ...

4.3 The progressive weight of digital in the prosthetic market

Digital solutions referred to as CAD CAM (***) for creating prosthetic products have turned the traditional business model of players upside down. In the time frame examined, the percentage of laboratories using such solutions reached ** percent in ****, completely reversing the incidence the solutions had in ****. The use of CAD-CAM is evident and ...

5.1 Regulations in the field of dentistry and dental technology

Directive **/**/EEC covers all manufacturers of medical devices-including dental devices-and establishes the necessary practices to be followed by the dental practitioner and dental technician in this regard. An overview of the directive follows.

First, the directive states that CE marking is required for placing on the market. With the exception of ...

5.2 Manufacturer Template

Based on the national and European legislation listed above, the following is a list of variables that should be mentioned when designing and manufacturing dental implants. The following is not an exhaustive list, but serves as an illustrative example.

5.3 Nomenclature and harmonized system of world customs

The Harmonized System is an international nomenclature for the classification of goods. It allows participating countries to classify traded goods on a common basis for customs purposes. At the international level, the Harmonized System for the classification of goods is a six-digit code system.[***]

The HS includes about *,*** item/product descriptions ...