Growing number of small/private dental clinics, rising incidences of dental caries, increasing disposable incomes in emerging countries, growing awareness about dental hygiene, and economic gain for dental practitioners to drive professional dental care market

The global professional dental care market is poised to reach USD 961.0 million by 2021 from an estimated USD 769.3 million in 2016, at a CAGR of 4.5% during the forecast period (2016–2021). The growing number of small/private dental clinics, rising incidences of dental caries, increasing disposable incomes in emerging countries, and growing awareness about dental hygiene are the major factors driving the growth of the professional dental care market.

In recent years, there has been significant increase in the number of dentists and dental practices across the globe. The U.S. is one of the major markets for professional dental care products mainly due to the large number of dental practices in the country, increasing oral healthcare expenditure, and increasing awareness about dental hygiene. According to the American Dental Association, dental practices with 0-4 employees have increased from 49,374 in 2008 to 50,711 in 2012. Similarly dental practices with 5-9 employees have increased from 48,428 in 2008 to 50,140 in 2012. APAC, on the other hand, is the fastest-growing region for the oral care products market mainly due to the increasing number of dentists and dental practices in the region, growing disposable incomes, and rising awareness about oral hygiene. According to the Indian Dental Association, in 2012, India had 180,000 dentists offering oral care services through their clinics, numbering over 125,000.

Dental hygiene awareness is one of the major contributors to the growth in the number of overall dental dispensing practices. Most dentists work along with dental hygienists to offer higher patient satisfaction and to spread awareness about oral care. The key players in the dental industry also conduct various seminars and programs to increase awareness about the importance of dental hygiene and to demonstrate newly launched and technologically advanced products. For instance, Colgate-Palmolive Company (U.S.) partnered with the Indian Dental Association (IDA) to conduct “Oral Health Month 2015,” a dental health awareness campaign in India and several other geographies to highlight the importance of oral health.

In addition, Dental caries or tooth decay is a common phenomenon faced by people across all age groups, with the incidences of decayed and missing teeth (DMT) increasing dramatically. According to the WHO in 2012, 60%–90% of school-children and nearly 100% of adults have dental cavities once in their lifetime. Dental cavities are one of the major causes of tooth loss. Thus, rising incidences of dental caries and other periodontal diseases will propel the growth of professional dental care market.

Geographically, Europe dominates the global professional dental care market. The larger share of this region is mainly attributed to the rising geriatric population, continuous technological innovations, growing government expenditure on oral healthcare across Europe, growing awareness about dental hygiene, and presence of large pool of private dental practitioners in European countries. However, the market in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region is expected to witness the highest growth in the next five years. The high growth in the APAC market can mainly be attributed to rapid growth in the geriatric population, rising awareness about oral care, and increase in dental tourism.