The global market for dental x-ray equipment expanded to more than $2.14 billion in 2012 as a result of digitization, and is set to rise by 14% to reach $2.44 billion in 2017.
Growth will be due to increased use of conebeam CT and a migration from analog intraoral film to digital, according to a report by market research firm IHS.
Advanced uses for dental x-ray such as prosthetics, implants, and orthodontics require a clearer view of the patient's physiology, driving demand for conebeam CT, according to the report. In fact, revenue from shipments of conebeam CT equipment accounted for an estimated 27% of annual dental x-ray equipment shipments in 2012. Shipments are predicted to rise to more than 30% in 2017.
Computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) programs will become more prevalent in the dental market, with more conebeam CT systems linking to this technology, IHS said. And intraoral x-ray unit shipments also are set to rise, with more dentists opting to use digital x-ray sensors rather than traditional analog film.
