According to Millennium Research Group's "US Markets for Dental Biomaterials 2009" report, although dental biomaterials are being used in a growing proportion of dental implant procedures, the market for these products will be dampened by the global financial crisis in the coming years as many patients postpone dental implant procedures or choose less expensive alternatives such as crowns, the company said in a press release.
Nonetheless, the U.S. market for dental biomaterials continued to grow in 2008 due to several significant market events, according to Millennium. Biomet 3i's Endobon and NovaBone's NovaBone were launched in the U.S. in the second quarter of 2008; the U.S. import ban on Straumann's Emdogain and BoneCeramic was lifted in August, making these products available toward the end of the year; Curasan's dental business was purchased by Riemser Arzneimittel, a German pharmaceutical company; Regeneration Technologies and Tutogen Medical merged and now operate under the new name RTI Biologics; and Lifecore Biomedical's dental division merged with Keystone Dental following Lifecore Biomedical's acquisition by Warburg Pincus.
"These events supported market expansion in 2008 and highlight the revenue potential in the dental biomaterial space," said Kevin Flewwelling, manager of the orthopedics division at Millennium, in the release. "Although 2009 will be a challenging year for dental biomaterial sales, market growth will continue through 2013."
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