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ePaper created 2017-05-10, 16:12:25 | version 1.38.0
new technologies and dental market business | extinction as cost-sensitive patients will continue to rely on them. Although CAD/CAM dentistry has gradually made strides on the dental material market, it will take years to realise its full potential. The acceptance of digitisation will occur in parallel to the generational displacement of older dentists with younger coun- terparts that have received training in innovative technologies. As with most modern products in the dental industry, the switchover is further bound by the price premium of these tech-savvy systems and tweaks in its accuracy.5 there is an increasing demand for more effective and less daunting anaesthetics. Recent product in- novations have led to needleless syringe and spray delivery systems. Once again, these improved sys- tems demand a price premium. Dental impressions have similarly undergone a lengthy history of advances. The traditional, rubber- based alginates were inaccurate and produced a foul smell.6 Alginate impression products were succeeded by the earliest generation of polyether materials. When compared to alginates, polyether impression materials are much more accurate and Fig. 1: Effects of CAD/CAM dentistry on the growth rates of temporary restoratives and dental impression materials. Demand for patient comfort Evolution of the dental material market is mainly directed towards improving patient comfort. However, a pleasurable dental visit does not come without an inflated price tag. This trend is flagrantly apparent in the dental anaesthetic field. Topical an- aesthetics are typically used to numb the injection area before the local injectable needle is adminis- trated. However, hypersensitive patients must rely solely on topical products for numbness. As such, provide better dimensional stability. Nonetheless, the difficult removal and unpleasant taste offered by polyether impressions has encouraged a move- ment towards alternative materials, such as costly composite impressions.7 Patient comfort extends beyond the realm of taste and smell, additionally pertaining to hygiene concerns. Regulatory bodies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continue to tighten CAD/CAM 2 2017 07