China, India, and Brazil expect extensive growth in dental implant, final abutments, and bone graft substitute markets

By Dr. Kamran Zamanian, PhD, and Stephen Teng, iData Research, Inc.

In 2010, the total emerging markets of China, India, and Brazil for dental implants and final abutments grew by more than 18%. Meanwhile, the same markets for dental bone graft substitutes and other biomaterials saw an increase of more than 45%. Through 2017, three of the world’s largest emerging markets, China, India, and Brazil, anticipate extensive growth in dental implant, final abutments, and dental bone graft substitutes. This growth will primarily be driven by rapidly growing economies, increased local training in dental schools, and changes in consumer healthcare spending behavior in these countries.

India leads dental implant growth
Dental implants were first developed in Sweden and were introduced into the emerging markets of China, India, and Brazil more than 20 years ago. While researchers have studied dental implants for decades, implantology has become an accepted part of mainstream dentistry in the emerging markets only during the last 10 to 15 years. Dental implant placement surgery is more complicated and time-consuming than most standard dental procedures, such as filling a cavity, placing a conventional bridge, or performing a root canal. In addition, dental implants were not part of the standard dental school curriculum until recently, meaning that the majority of dental general practitioners were not trained or educated in placing implants. Dentists placing implants in China and India tend to fall into four categories: low-volume users, specialists, super specialists, and opinion leaders.

Despite a drop in demand as a result of the economic recession, the dental implant industry maintained growth in 2009 and 2010, largely as a result of sales of less expensive implants and low market penetration. In addition, a crop of emerging biomedical companies offering dental bone-grafting material drove sales. The India dental implant market, in particular, experienced high, double-digit growth throughout the global economic recession, compared to low single-digit growth seen in most parts of Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

CAD/CAM abutment market expects rapid growth
The dental implant and final abutment markets are directly linked and, therefore, grow relatively parallel to one another. Computer-aided design (CAD) and computer-aided manufactured (CAM) abutments are a relatively new subtype of abutments. Using information from CT imaging and/or a mold-based model, a custom abutment is designed using CAD software. The design is then used to create an abutment using CAM technology. The Chinese and Indian markets have not been as swift as the US market to incorporate CAD/CAM abutments, and as a result, they are still relatively rare. However, CAD/CAM abutments is one of the fastest-growing segments, expecting to experience rapid growth of approximately 60% through 2017.

Dental bone grafting to become more widely accepted
The market for dental bone graft substitutes includes autografts, allografts, demineralized bone matrix (DBM), xenografts, and synthetic materials. Bone grafting is performed during many periodontal procedures; however the majority of dental bone grafts are completed in preparation for dental implant placement. Across the three emerging markets, approximately 80% of dental bone graft substitute volume is used to facilitate dental implant procedures. As many as 60% of dental implant procedures could theoretically benefit from the use of bone grafting; however, due to the additional time and expense, only a third of procedures actually did so in 2010. This percentage is expected to increase significantly as bone grafting for implant procedures becomes more widely accepted, and the number of dental-implant procedures increases. All together, the emerging markets for bone graft substitutes and other biomaterials are expected to grow to over 10 times its current value by 2017 (Figure 1).  

Prosperous economy drives dental implant markets
Economic prosperity and industrialization has caused consumer spending in emerging market economies to grow rapidly. Traditionally dominated by essential goods and services, the consumer behavior in countries such as Brazil, China, and India will gradually shift toward discretionary spending, particularly for healthcare. With long-term implant success rates increasing, as well as improved training and awareness in dental schools, dental implants have become much more widely used and recommended in the emerging markets. Additionally, the proportion of people over 65 years of age in these countries is increasing, and older patients are more likely to require bone grafting during implant procedures. Another factor driving the market is low-penetration rates. India, for example, has one of the lowest rates of dental implant usage in the world, with an average of 12 implants placed per 1 million inhabitants, compared with 22,200 in South Korea.

Lower-priced Osstem and MIS increase competition

Nobel Biocare™, Straumann®, and Neodent® accounted for a significant portion of sales of dental implants and final abutments in the emerging markets, holding the leading position in India, China, and Brazil, respectively. Despite strong economies and increased demand in these countries, a trend toward discount pricing fueled by intense competition has been seen. As such, the emergence of lower-priced, regional players such as Osstem and MIS are expected to take away some market share from the premium brand players over the forecast period.

Additional information is available
The information contained in this article is taken from three detailed and comprehensive reports published by iData Research (www.idataresearch.net) entitled Emerging Markets: Chinese and Indian Dental Implants and Final Abutments 2011, Brazilian Market for Dental Implants & Final Abutments 2011; and Emerging Markets: Chinese and Indian Dental Bone Graft Substitutes and Other Biomaterials 2011. These reports are available for purchase from iData Research. For more information and a free synopsis of the above reports, please contact iData Research at: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

This information was provided by iData Research.