The UK and Ireland dental radiography equipment market is projected to reach US$ 420.43 million by 2028 from US$ 250.88 million in 2021; it is expected to register a CAGR of 7.7% from 2022 to 2028. The rising prevalence of oral cancer, growing number of dental practices, and increasing expenditure on dental health are the major factors boosting the market.

The number of dentists employed in the UK has increased from 29,000 in 2007 to ~36,000 in 2020. Concurrently, the number of medical and dental technicians reached ~45,400 in the UK in 2021. According to the General Dental Services Statistics, 365 dental practices were performed in Northern Ireland in March 2020, and the country had 1,146 dentists registered to perform dental procedures in that month. The number of registered dentists has increased by 13% over the last decade. Further, spending on dental services has surged in the last few years. According to statista.com, in 2020, household expenditure on dental services was ~US$ 1.5 billion in the UK. According to a report by Public Health England, dental treatments incur a significant cost to people and governments, and the NHS in England spends ~US$ 3.86 billion per year on dental care (with an additional ~US$ 2.61 billion on private dental care). Thus, with the rising number of dental practices performed, the adoption of radiography equipment is also increasing, thereby driving the dental radiography equipment market in the UK and Ireland.

Product Insights

Based on product, the UK and Ireland dental radiography equipment market is segmented into intraoral x-ray system, extraoral x-ray system, intraoral plate scanner, and cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging. The intraoral X-ray systems segment is likely to hold the largest share of the market in 2021. However, the cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) imaging segment is anticipated to register the highest CAGR of 9.1% in the market during the forecast period

End User Insights

Based on end user, the UK and Ireland dental radiography equipment market is segmented into dental clinics, hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, and others. In 2021, the hospitals held the largest share of the market. However, the dental clinics segment is expected to register the fastest CAGR of 8.1% during 2022-2028.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all routine dental care appointments in the UK were suspended in March 2020. Liverpool University Dental Hospital (LUDH) ceased routine dental care services on March 18, 2020, following the advice of NHS England. From March 25, 2020, this hospital became one of the UK's first emergency dental care providers for patients aged 16 and above. Further, from March 2020, general dental services (GDS) were significantly restricted in Ireland. General dental practices were restricted to only urgent and emergency cases. A Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA) report confirmed a dramatic reduction in the number of dental treatments due to the COVID-19 pandemic and restricted access to dental services; in 2020, the patient count reduced by ~60% compared to 2019 in the country. These conditions affected the demand for dental radiography equipment, thereby limiting the dental radiography equipment market growth.

Country Analysis

Oral cancer is ranked as the sixth most common cancer in the UK, with ~4,900 new cases reported every year. According to the State of Mouth Cancer UK Report 2021, ~8,722 people in the UK were diagnosed with oral cancer in 2020. Oral cancer accounts for more than 2% of all cancer types. The same statistics suggest that men are more likely to have oral cancer than women. The incidence of this cancer type is also strongly associated with age. 78% of new oral cancer cases are reported in people with an age greater than 55. The same data showed that mouth cancer cases have risen by 58% over the last decade and 97% over the last 20 years. Further, the prevalence of oral cancer is higher in Wales compared to the rest of the UK. According to stats by gpcpd.com, in Wales, every year 300 new oral cancer cases are diagnosed.

A few key primary and secondary sources referred to while preparing the report on the UK and Ireland dental radiography equipment market are the BDIA Technology and Trends Survey in 2019, Worldometer, State of Mouth Cancer UK Report, Cancer Focus Northern Ireland, General Dental Services Statistics, and Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency (NISRA).