Made in France in the spotlight of dental implantology sector

It is true that large groups such as Straumann, Danaher, Dentsply Sirona, and Zimmer-Biomet account for more than 50% of the global market share for dental implants. The market for implant manufacturing and distribution is highly concentrated around large corporations due to numerous acquisitions and consolidations. This makes it even more difficult for an independent SME or ETI to compete in the manufacturing-distribution industry.

Nevertheless, some French companies have managed to develop, differentiate and even export internationally.
So how does France manage to compete and prevail against the international giants of the sector?

France was very early in the history of dentistry. As the Pierre-Fauchard Museum of dentistry in Paris attests, the 18th century was the golden age of French dentistry, bringing remarkable improvements that continue to flourish to this day. And indeed, the experience accumulated over time has inspired more than one... Progressively, the history of French dental know-how has taken over the field of implantology, giving rise to new specialized companies that are increasingly innovative!

Therefore, in this article, we will introduce you to some of the main French implant companies, their history, and their know-how.

Anthogyr

Located in the Mont Blanc valley in the Alps and founded in 1943 by René Anthoine, Anthogyr has over 70 years of experience in the manufacture of dental instruments. A real turning point in its history was when the company began manufacturing dental implants in the early 1980s. Its commitment to quality and reliability led it to quickly gain notoriety.
Its progress in terms of innovation in implant dentistry has been remarkable: in 2009 Anthogyr launched the new Axiom intelligent range, which was further advanced in 2017 with the Multi-Level solution, including a system fully compatible with Bone and Tissue Level implants. This innovation allows flexibility to enhance treatment plans.
In 2016, Anthogyr became a partner of the Straumann Group with the aim of significantly accelerating its presence in China. In 2019, the company officially joins the Group to further strengthen its international presence.

Biotech Dental

Biotech Dental is a major French player in the healthcare sector with 30 years of experience. The company was founded in 1987 by Dr. Poulmaire and then acquired by Philippe Veran and Bruno Thevenet, directors of Family Office Upperside.
As a manufacturer of dental products and services, Biotech Dental carries out its activity in France, in the Rhône-Alpes region in Arve Valley. Biotech Dental has been awarded the label "Origine France Garantie" as well as the label French Tech.
To ensure harmony between biology and aesthetics, Biotech Dental develops various high-performance dental implants such as the Kontact range, which respond to various indications such as progressive bone condensation and faster osseointegration.
The group is one of the market leaders in dental implantology and is present in around 40 countries. The company's positioning is focused on new technologies, which has led to significant investments in research and development.
With the creation of subsidiaries since 2009, the company is strengthening its international presence and gradually conquering Europe and the Middle East. As part of its international growth process, Biotech Dental has raised €20 million in financing and is seeking to establish itself in the USA, where it has just acquired IDS, the last major independent distributor of dental implants.

Lyra

Lyra is an innovative group, belonging to the Stemmer family, that has shaped the European dental distribution landscape. Founded in 1980, the company launched its dental implant division in 1982, formerly known as Euroteknika (ETK), which was renamed Lyra after the ETK-Lyra merger in 2016.
Lyra is a digital solutions company and implant solutions manufacturer. The French company stands out for its simple and qualitative protocols, as well as its ETK brand dental implant products, which are 100% manufactured in France. All manufacturing steps are carried out at the Sallanches site in Haute-Savoie. On an international level, ETK is present in more than 30 countries through its subsidiaries and distributors.
Moreover, Lyra has modernized the practice by limiting the number of steps and manipulations, which is perfectly reflected in its innovative product: the Profile Designer Iphysio. This unique piece performs the three main functions of the prosthetic protocol: Healing, impression taking, and provisional prosthesis. The Iphysio part is removed only once to place and screw in the final restoration. Iphysio simplifies the post-surgical protocol by improving practice management (fewer components to store) and reducing the number of soft tissue interventions, saving chairside time and respecting the patient's physiology. The Profile Designer Iphysio is anatomically shaped and adapted to the restorative area to achieve an optimal esthetic result.
The gingiva is perfectly sculpted as soon as it heals and the emergence profile is maintained during impression taking thanks to very precise restitution of the implant position.

Global D

Dedicated to the functional and esthetic rehabilitation of the maxilla, the French company Global D is part of the Menix Group, which has more than 50 years of experience in the development of implantable medical devices.
To ensure the longevity of implant-supported restorations, Global D strives for optimal integration at multiple levels: Bone, Periodontal, and Mechanical. The company has drawn the attention of the dental community and claims that 20% of implants placed annually in France come from its brand.
The company also cultivates a sense of quality and high standards through its "Clean Implant Foundation" guarantee, which is based on the analysis of implant surfaces by electronic microscopy. Global D is the first French company to obtain this certification. Patients are thus guaranteed a high level of cleanliness of the brand implant, which allows an optimal and risk-free biological response.
Finally, the company is expanding its international presence in more than 30 countries and strengthening its proximity to customers through a network of local subsidiaries and distributors.

IDI Dental

Since 1987, IDI Dental (Implants Diffusion International) has dedicated its expertise to dental implantology. IDI designs and manufactures its dental implants.
IDI is committed to quality and has been awarded the "Origine France Garantie" label for the manufacture of dental implants and screws, connectors and insertion instruments.
As part of its development and quality objectives, the company invests in innovation and works on numerous studies in collaboration with practitioners, laboratories and trainers.
IDI dental offers a complete range of bone-level and tissue-level implants that can be adapted to numerous clinical situations for aesthetic and functional restorations.

TBR

Based in the southwest of France, in Toulouse, TBR is an international company dedicated for more than 30 years to the design, manufacture, and commercialization of high-quality implants, aesthetic and digital solutions, ancillary devices, and regenerative solutions.
TBR is known for its two main implant models: the Bone and Tissue-Level. The latter in particular is the result of 20 years of research and innovation.
In the 2000s, TBR introduced its Z1 implant line. The company distinguishes itself from its competitors by its technology and especially by the choice of its materials: the Zicorne of the implant head combined with the titanium of the implant body. These materials are adapted to all the tissues (bone, connective tissue, and epithelium) with which the implant comes into contact and guarantee an average success rate of 98.6%. Zicorne ensures aesthetic ceramic continuity between the head of the implant and the final crown to which the gingiva is attached. In the case of gingival recession or a thin biotype, the Zicorne allows optimal aesthetics in contrast to the greyish margin in implants with a smooth titanium neck.

Victory

Victory is a French family business founded in 1984 by Victor Scortecci, a dental prosthetist. Victory designs, manufactures, and distributes a wide range of anatomical implant systems for a variety of clinical cases.
The company pays particular attention to the surface of the dental implants it designs. This is because rough surfaces are shown to significantly increase the rate of peri-implantitis, while studies from the University of Nantes highlight the benefits of smooth implant surfaces.
To reduce this rate, the company has innovated by offering implants with smooth surfaces called V.M.S.S. (Victory Machined Smooth Surface).

Convinced of the French Touch?

We are convinced of the promising future of these companies, ensuring patient follow-up and availability of prosthetic components in the long term, when we know that the majority of implants will require intervention within 10 years (1).

With these ambitious and innovative companies, France has every chance of becoming a leader in the field of dental implants at the international level.

Did we forget to mention a French dental implant manufacturer? Let us know!

About the authors:

Spotimplant is an artificial intelligence-based implant restoration assistant. Our solution allows you to identify an unknown implant, find compatible components and learn about technical specifications. Our search engine references more than 300 manufacturers and 3500 implant models.

We are not affiliated with any of the companies mentioned in this article.


(1) Source : “Complications and survival rates of 55 metal-ceramic implant-supported fixed complete-arch prostheses: A cohort study with mean 5-year follow-up.” Papaspyridakos P, Bordin TB, Natto ZS, et al. J Prosthet Dent. 2019;122(5):441-449. doi:10.1016/j.prosdent.2019.01.022