Dental 3D Printing Market Forecast, Trend Analysis & Competition Tracking - Global Market Insights 2020 to 2027

Customisation of Dental Prosthetics to Unlock Lucrative Prospects for Players in Dental 3D Printing Market

Dental technicians and clinicians are progressively turning receptive to digital dentistry, which is opening lucrative avenues for manufacturers of 3D printers to progress with a customised, rather than standardised approach in the dental 3D printing market. Development of customized dental models such as bridges, crowns, implants, and dentures is offering better patient outcomes, and, in turn, boosting the reliance of dentists on printed prosthetics. Demand for dental prosthetics would also increase, on the back of macroeconomic factors such as unhealthy food habits of individuals, which is leading to tooth decay and tooth loss.

The impact of significant dynamics has been recalibrated in a recent report published by Fact.MR, which projects that, the dental 3D printing market would witness a whopping 2.6X growth over the forecast period (2020-2027).

High Cost and Lack of Trained Professionals Slowing Down Adoption Rate

Players in the dental 3D printing market could witness two barriers-high cost of dental 3D printers and lack of skilled professionals—which are influential enough to slow down their growth pace. Continuous evolution of additive manufacturing technology requires an influx of OPEX for manufacturers to achieve differentiation of their product portfolio. An increase in the demand for advanced 3D printers encourages manufacturers in the dental 3D printing market to expand their existing scope of R&D activities by allocating high budgets to incorporate neoteric technologies.

Selective laser sintering technology is now deemed suitable for the development of dental prosthetics with relatively high durability and accuracy, in a short timeframe than vat photopolymerisation technology. However, the cost of incorporating such advanced technologies, in addition to the already high cost of raw materials such as metals and polymer, makes the development process highly cost-intensive. This price directly passes onto the cost of dental 3D printers, which makes it unaffordable for small-scale medical professionals. For instance, the prices of NextDent 5100 and FabPro 1000, launched by 3D Systems, Inc., are US$ 10,000 and US$ 5,000, respectively.

Dental professionals who can invest in these expensive dental 3D printers face yet another common pitfall of limited dissemination of operational knowledge, which results in high rate of failure and abandonment. In order to offset these challenges, manufacturers can offer value-added services in the form of customer support to train dentists and clinicians, and improve the sales prospects of their products.

Consumer Proclivity for Aesthetic Dentistry to Foster Advancements in Dental 3D Printing Technology

Considering the link between teeth and self-esteem in recent times, the targeted consumer group for aesthetic dentistry is moving beyond the geriatric populace to millennials, generation Y, and Z. The growing trend of resorting to bariatric surgeries and dental procedures to improve one’s personality is pushing players in the dental 3D printing market to help dentists address the demand in the least possible time. Besides the high demand for crowns and bridges among aged individuals, the popularity of shaded printing material is surging, owing to increasing consumer proclivity for natural-looking teeth, especially among millennials. Taking this demand into account, manufacturers in the dental 3D printing market are developing tooth-shaded 3D printing materials to produce natural dental models with fine details and resolutions.

Asia Pacific to Record Highest Growth Rate, while North America Maintains Lead

North America retains its dominance in the dental 3D printing market, with a market share of 40% during the forecast period, on the back of favourable dental health insurance plans covering the dental expenditures of individuals. Affordability of advanced dental procedures is widening the base of individuals opting for dental care. Players are reaping rich rewards of increasing penetration of dental 3D printers in this region, on account of the growing number of dental care centres.

Besides North America, Asia Pacific is witnessing a notable spike in the growth of the dental 3D printing market, where Japan, China, and Australia are attractive regions. Growth would also remain fuelled by supportive foreign investment policies, and relatively low cost of operation in these countries, which is attracting leading players to build strategic distribution partnerships with regional players operating in these countries to strengthen their position in overseas territories.