In China, the majority of the dental clinics are in the
hospitals, most of which are state-owned. In the
next 10-20 years, China needs to construct 10 times the number
of dental hospitals currently available in order to provide
the Chinese people with dental treatment and
protection. Furthermore, the private dental clinics
are much smaller compared to the state owned (government owned)
clinics.
The increase in the number of dental hospitals and
clinics providing basic dental care has led to a rise in the
number of dental cases sent to specialized dental labs.
Many of China’s stomatology hospitals and clinics are expanding
beyond basic dental care to offer higher value-added services,
such as cosmetic surgery. Of China’s more 1.3 billion
people, 50 percent of the adults and 70 percent of the children
have problems with decayed teeth. Over 90 percent of the
people have periodontal disease. Accordingly, the demand
for high-tech dental equipment is also growing.
Although there is no solid data about the current market size for dental equipment, according to a source from the State Food and Drug Administration (SFDA), China has witnessed a steady growth in this market and the current market size for domestic and foreign products is estimated at about US$150 million, of which roughly one third is imported. Furthermore, the vast majority of imports for dental lab equipment are purchased by the larger dental labs, which possess the financial resources and the technical expertise the smaller dental labs lack. Currently, there are more than 1,000 dental laboratories in China with production permits. The market for dental equipment and dental lab equipment and materials is projected to grow by 10-15% a year.
Due to the lack of accurate statistics-gathering and tax records in China, it is recommended that all figures for market size cited above be considered only as estimates.
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