The North America tooth positioner market is expected to reach US$ 1,469.80 million by 2027 from US$ 745.90 million in 2019. The market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 8.9% during 2020–2027.
Growing prevalence of dental problems, rising incidence of malocclusions in children, and increasing demand for dental cosmetic procedures are the major factors driving the growth of the market in the region. Additionally, rising dental tourism in emerging nations and growth in digitization driven by CAD/CAM technologies in the market are likely to fuel the growth of the North America tooth positioner market during the forecast period. However, uneasiness and inconvenience caused by tooth positioners are restraining the growth of the market.
Tooth positioners are well-known orthodontic equipment developed as an arch-shaped body with a resilient (Silastic) material fitting between the upper and lower arches within the mouth of a patient. They are used during orthodontic treatment to stabilize settling and to mitigate or prevent relapse of the teeth.
Dental and oral health diseases affect people at least once in their lifetime. Mere toothache may cause unbearable pain, discomfort, and disfigurement. According to the American Dental Association report published in 2019, 50.4% of children with Medicaid or CHIP and 67.1% children with private insurance had dentist visits in 2016. Periodontal disease, which results in tooth loss, ranks 11th among the world’s most prevalent dental diseases. The prevalence of dental and oral conditions such as overbites, crooked teeth, underbites, crossbites, spaces between teeth, teeth overcrowding, and temporomandibular disorders (TMD) is rising across the world. The prime factors leading to dental problems include injuries, periodontal diseases, accidents, and others. According to the Canadian Association of Orthodontists data, ~4 million people in Canada and the US are taking treatment from an orthodontic specialist. Also, as per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data, ~31.6% population in the US had untreated dental caries during 2013–2016. Moreover, according to a survey report published in 2018, 62% of the subjects visited their dentists at least once in 2016, and while 62% of them had at least one dentist visit in 2017; 52% made their most recent appointment for having a regular checkup. Moreover, the prevalence of malocclusion is more among children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Posterior crossbite, adverse maxillary crowding, and grown overjet are among the most widely diagnosed malocclusion traits in children. In terms of prevalence, malocclusion is ranked third among the major tooth conditions, after tooth decay and periodontal disease. According to the data published in Elsevier B.V. research study in 2018, the prevalence of severe deep overbite was ~8% in the US, while the prevalence of overbite was 36.5–39.2% among children of age 5–6 years. Thus, the mounting prevalence of dental problems is one of the key factors escalating the demand for tooth positioners.
North America is witnessing a growing number of COVID-19 positive cases. As per Worldometer, as of January 8th, 2021, there were 88 million infected cases and 1.9 million deaths reported in the US. Additionally, cases in Mexico and Canada are growing. According to the American Dental Association, during the pandemic, dental procedures are divided into two types—i.e., emergency/urgent and routine/elective procedures. Many cities are shutting down due to the outbreak, which is causing cancellation of dental treatments and doctor/dentist appointments. As the dental treatment and procedures are directly contacted with patients’ oral fluid, it is requested to maintain social distancing as there is a greater risk of being infected with the novel coronavirus due to direct exposure to oral fluids of the patients to the dentists. During the COVID?19 pandemic, routine dental treatments are contraindicated, and the emphasis is placed only on emergency and urgent treatments of all patients. However, due to the pandemic's rising intensity, patients are not able to visit the dental clinics as well as there is the limited/uneven availability of dental staff. Such factors have an impact on the market. Therefore, it is likely to hinder the North America tooth positioner market due to the abovementioned points.
In 2019, the non-extraction positioners segment accounted for a larger market share. The market growth for the non-extraction positioners segment is attributed to the multiple applications incurred by the increasing demand for dental aesthetic procedure and dental cosmetics procedure. Moreover, the market for the same segment is expected to witness a faster growth during the forecast period.
A few of the major secondary sources referred to while preparing the report on the North America tooth positioner market are the World Health Organization (WHO), American Dental Association (ADA), Canadian Association of Orthodontists (CAO), and Canadian Dental Association.