The global market for dental x-ray equipment topped $2 billion in 2012 and is expected to reach $2.3 billion to $2.4 billion over the next few years, according to two new market research reports.
The first report, from IHS, forecasts the market to top $2.4 billion in 2017, due primarily to the increased adoption of cone-beam CT and the transition from analog film to digital x-ray equipment.
"Demand for dental x-ray equipment is being driven by advanced uses in mature markets such as prosthetics, implants, and orthodontics. These dental specialties require a clearer view of the patient's physiology, driving demand for cone-beam CT," stated Sarah Jones, an analyst for medical electronics at IHS, in a press release.
Shipments of cone-beam CT equipment revenue accounted for an estimated 27% of annual dental x-ray equipment shipments in 2012, she added. That total is predicted to rise to more than 30% in 2017.
The continued digitalization of intraoral x-rays will drive unit shipment growth in both emerging and well-established markets. However, it will be in the well-established markets where new installations being purchased for the first time in dental practices and upgrades from analog to digital will take place, according to IHS.
Meanwhile, a new report from Millennium Research Group (MRG) is a bit more conservative in its projections. While the global market for dental imaging systems will see strong revenue expansion in the wake of rising demand for cosmetic dental procedures such as orthodontics, composites, veneers, and crowns and bridges, MRG expects the market to top $2.3 billion by 2022.
Like IHS, MRG believes the global market for dental imaging systems is also being driven by a widespread shift from film-based systems to digital imaging solutions. Because digital dental imaging systems carry a higher price than film-based solutions, the shift will have a strong positive impact on global revenues, according to MRG.
