(PharmaNewsWire.Com, October 15, 2021 ) In the optimistic scenario, it could be assumed that the COVID-19 pandemic would create a long-term positive impact on the overall dental 3D printing market. The dental 3D printing market was initially negatively impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, as most dental offices, clinics, and laboratories were closed in many parts of the world due to lockdowns and quarantine restrictions in early 2020. This resulted in all non-essential dental procedures being deferred; the volume of outpatient cases reduced considerably in this period. However, recovery can be seen in most regions, especially North America and Europe, as dental services regain normalcy. The Asia Pacific dental market has been slower to recover, especially in China and India. However, the drivers that had propelled 3D dental printing previously, such as the rising digitization of dental set-ups and the expansion of dental clinics and corporate chains, are still in place. This can be expected to promote the growth of the market in 2021–2022.
In an optimistic scenario, the need for smoother clinical workflows, faster turnaround times, and fewer dental appointments could boost market growth. Dentists may be more likely to invest in technologies like CAD/CAM and dental 3D printing to reduce the time taken to deliver dental appliances and treatment, and patients may be more likely to opt for these solutions for the same reason.
According to the CDC, in 2019, 64.9% of adults aged above 18 years of age had a dental examination or dental cleaning procedure. According to the American College of Prosthodontists, more than 36 million Americans are completely edentulous, and around 120 million Americans are missing at least one tooth. As dental implants, dental prosthetics, and other dental products manufactured by dental 3D printers find high use in the restoration of the dental structure, the high incidence of target diseases will play a key role in the growth of the dental 3D printing market during the forecast period.
There is a very limited resource pool available for staff that is well-versed with 3D printing processes, which is further worsened by the rapid pace of evolution of the dental 3D printing market in terms of technology and materials. There is a dearth of training programs available for additive manufacturing and a wide gap between academia and practical applications in the industry that is difficult to bridge. The lack of a well-qualified workforce would restrain the overall adoption of dental 3D printing.
Computer-aided design (CAD)/computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) is increasingly being embraced by the dental industry due to its high precision in dental restoration. This technology is used for not only designing and manufacturing milled crowns and bridges but also designing fabricated abutments used in dental implants. CAD/CAM is highly useful in customizing dental prosthetics, such as dental crowns made of zirconium.
The use of CAD/CAM also reduces the need to wear temporary bridges/crowns during the course of the treatment and the number of doctor visits, thereby reducing the cost of dental restoration. Although the majority of prosthetic elements are still made manually, the use of CAD/CAM associated with 3D printing continues to increase due to its advantages.
Small and medium-sized laboratories may find it unfeasible to install dental 3D printing facilities due to financial constraints. Since the majority of dental labs are small or medium-sized, this is a key challenge in the market. The cost of a high-resolution 3D printer is around USD 40,000 to USD 100,000. This also makes it difficult for laboratories dependent on federal funding (for whom securing funds in itself is a time-consuming process) to install and use such equipment.
The equipment segment is further divided into dental scanners and printers. The large share of the services segment can be attributed to the competitive pricing offered by dental 3D printing service providers and the large-scale outsourcing of dental product design and production by small hospitals, dental clinics, and laboratories.
The Asia Pacific region is expected to grow at the highest pace during the forecast period, primarily due to the growing aging population, high demand for digital dentistry to ease the clinical workflow, growing dental tourism, rising disposable incomes, and focus of leading market players on expanding their distribution networks in emerging APAC countries.
Prominent players in the Dental 3D printing market include 3D Systems (US), Stratasys Ltd. (US/Israel), Renishaw plc (UK), Roland DG (Japan), SLM Solutions Group AG (Germany), EnvisionTEC (Germany), DENTSPLY Sirona (US), Formlabs (US), and Prodways Group (France).
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