The growth of implant dentistry

The global dental implantology market was valued at approximately $6.8bn in 2011 and is estimated to grow by an average of 9.3 per cent per year from 2011 to 2016. This is not surprising considering the many perceived benefits of dental implants. Europe is currently the largest market for dental implants at 41 per cent and much of the predicted growth is due to increasing demand from Asian and South American nations. However the UK is one of the European countries with the greatest potential for an increase in the use of dental implants and the number of implants placed per 10,000 people in the UK is currently significantly lower than many comparable European nations.

The increased use of dental implants can be put down to many factors, especially the introduction of more minimally invasive surgical techniques, shorter treatment times and a wider knowledge and acceptance amongst the profession and general public of the benefits of dental implants. Indeed it is now almost universally accepted that dental implants are the treatment of choice for the replacement of the missing tooth.