The dental equipment market in the United States has aggressively expanded in recent years, with industry analysts expecting revenue figures to double in the next decade, reaching a record $21.2 billion by 2032. In Australia, the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) is expected to exceed 6% in the next five years.
This growing demand for dental equipment has consequently seen the urgent rise of the portable dental handpiece, a product that responds to the greater need for mobile treatment units, as well as adding a layer of quality to the level of care currently available.
Benefits of Portable Dental Handpieces
The demand for portable handpieces is driven by their many clear advantages in oral health. They are increasingly becoming a must-have tool for many dental practices, providing distinct benefits over the traditional handpiece:
Increased Need for Mobile Oral Care
In most developed countries, there is greater demand for effective mobile oral care. For example, generally speaking, we are getting older as an overall population. Life expectancy is continually on the rise due to improved medical care, nutrition and economic conditions, amongst many other factors.
Increasingly, dentists are faced with patients that suffer from complex oral health conditions for many years. Many senior citizens (patients) are unable to visit a dental practice due to health reasons, requiring treatment at their care facility or at home.
Portable dental handpieces allow the dentist to provide effective treatments in a wide variety of settings. Portable handpieces are transportable, lightweight and dependable units. The overall availability of advanced mobile dental solutions means that a portable handpiece has become an essential part of a dentist’s toolkit.
Backup Units
Many dental practices are located in relatively remote areas. This often means that power supplies can be cut at a moment’s notice, sometimes in the middle of a complex dental procedure.
Portable dental handpieces, operate using an efficient lithium-ion battery, which means they can be kept on-site in case mains-operated units fail and are an effective backup that will keep a dental practice running no matter what happens.
Efficiency for Smaller Dental Practices
In more remote locations, such as outback settings where there is an evident lower population level, dental practices tend to be smaller and with more limited resources.
Portable dental handpieces, by their definition, meaning they can be easily transported from one location within the practice to the next without issue, allowing more remote locations to provide in-home patient care.
Scalability
For dental practices that are looking to expand quickly, portable dental handpieces provide a springboard to do so without the need for more office space.
Dental practices can begin to offer off-site care, being able to visit patients at home or at any other convenient location (e.g. on-site dental treatments for large companies).
Dental Care for Vulnerable Groups
Unfortunately, there are many people in society, such as low-income families, who do not have access to traditional dental care. Many can not afford the rising costs of private health and insurance, preventing a small, yet vulnerable group in our communities from accessing the care they deserve.
Mobile dental units can expand the availability of care, by providing care outside traditional office hours. It also means dental practices can visit rural communities, schools and nursing homes. Services can often be provided at a lower rate, considering the overhead costs are significantly lower.
The concept of portable dental equipment is not novel, yet it is only in recent years that the quality of tools such as dental handpieces has matched the requirements of advanced oral care.
In 2023, battery-operated units are often just as effective as anything else on the market, meaning the patient does not suffer from inferior care as a result of a portable dental handpiece. They are no longer simply a backup option in case something goes wrong, but a legitimate alternative of equal quality and delivery.