Please activate JavaScript!
Please install Adobe Flash Player, click here for download

implants - international magazine of oral implantology

I business news Implants with internal conical connection like the NobelReplace CC shown in this picture have become more popular, according to iData Research. (Photo courtesy of Nobel Biocare, Switzerland) _Introduction The dental implant and bone graft substitute mar- ket is the most rapidly advancing segment of dental technology, and leading competitors in this market mustconsistentlydevelopnewproductssupportedby research from scientific and academic organizations to remain competitive. Recent cases have demon- strated that when companies lose a segment of sup- port from the scientific community, their market shares tend to suffer significantly. The European dental implant and bone graft sub- stitute market has been further challenged by recent economic instability and the eurozone crisis, which has created a consistent demand for lower- costdentalimplantproducts.Asaresult, many lower-priced competitors have begun to seize larger market shares in almosteveryEuropeanmarket.Inmany segments, these competitors are either regional or sourced from overseas mar- kets such as Brazil, Korea and Israel. Re- generative products and barrier membranes have been particularly affected by consumer austerity, as these products are discre- tionary in many cases. However, a grow- ing number of consumers continue to demand high-quality products, guaran- tees of service and scientific improve- ments, which only premium manufac- turersareequippedtooffer.Conicalin- ternal connections is one such recent innovation, and currently constitute the fastest-growing connection type in the dental implant industry. Manydentalimplantandbonegraft substitute companies have looked to expandtheirproductportfolioorcreate newmarketswhiletheycreatepackagedealstooffset competition from rapidly emerging lower-priced competitors. Significantly, many European and US companies involved in this market have begun to in- vest in rapidly emerging periphery markets such as Turkey. Increasing prevalence of conical internal connections Dental implants are connected to final abutments in one of three ways: internal connections, external connections or single-unit devices in which the im- plant and abutment are already attached. Further- more, internal connections have two subsegments: butt-joint internal connections and conical in- ternalconnections.Researchhasshownthat a lack of intimate fit of the implant in the abutment or movement of the implant can provide an area for bacterial growth. Conventional butt-joint con- nectionsprovideaconnectionthatcan resultinmicro-movementbetweenthe implant and the abutment, creating a pumpeffectforbacteriaintotheconnection area. When bacteria are present in the micro- gap, they can cause inflammation, tissue recession and bone loss. Recent clinical studieshavedemonstratedthat,onaver- age, conical connections offer a smaller micro-gap than butt-joint connections, in addition to a greater mechanical level of stability. As a result, conical connec- tion types have become hugely suc- cessful in the dental implant market, and the majority of leading dental im- plant manufacturers have introduced conical internal connection products. Conical connection types will continue torepresentoneofthefastest-growing segmentsofthedentalimplantmarket. Conical internal connections will fuel growth in dental implant market Authors_Dr Kamran Zamanian & Ian van den Dolder, iData Research Inc., Canada 36 I implants3_2012