In this piece, we will take a look at the ten most advanced countries in dentistry. For more companies, head on over to 5 Most Advanced Countries in Dentistry.

Whether a dentist is a doctor or not is still up for debate, but what is for sure is that dentists play an important role in the modern day health industry as anyone with a recessed wisdom tooth will attest to. Teeth form the basis of nutrition since a healthy mouth is important for being able to eat a variety of different foods. The history of dentistry traces human history, with the first treatments thought to have started just as humans transitioned from being hunter gatherers to farmers, as diets high in carbohydrates led to higher instances of tooth decay as well.

Modern day dentistry has of course evolved from simply using flint tools to cure ailments. What we know as dentistry today started out in 17th century France as a field that used tools borrowed from jewelers, watchmakers, and barbers. Now, the global dental tools market was worth $6.2 billion in 2021 and is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.7% until 2030 with a final value of $13.31 billion according to research from Precedence Research. The fastest growing market for these instruments will be Asia Pacific, according to the research firm, while North America accounted for the largest share of the revenue pie in 2020 which stood at 38.5%. The growth of Asia Pacific will be nearly twice as fast as the global market, as Precedence Research believes that the region will grow at a strong 14% CAGR.

The industry itself consists of a host of different kinds of equipment. These range from chairs, scaling units, ovens, surgical equipment, casting machines, a wide variety of different lasers, ceramic furnaces, suction units, and air filters to name a few. Some firms that operate in the dental equipment market are Bien-Air Dental, TAKARA BELMONT CORPORATION, Nova Instruments, Millennium Dental Technologies, Inc., J. MORITA CORP., and Planmeca Group.

On the technology side of things, dentistry is slated to benefit the most since it involves performing complex procedures cramped in a tiny space. Dentists can benefit from better visualization techniques, which enable them to accurately take the scope of the teeth or area that they will be operating in order to make better decisions and conduct safer procedures. On this front, firms like SmartTek, Stratasys, and MouthWatch are providing products that allow dentists to ‘place’ their tooth implants on a patient through augmented reality, use smart intra oral cameras, and use 3D printers to print implants that are modeled precisely according to a patient’s needs through images taken right inside the clinic. Additionally, companies like Ultradent Products, Inc. offer innovative products such as a bioceramic root canal sealer that is designed to prevent leakage and stimulate bone repair. Safe to say, dentistry has come quite far since the first humans started to settle down and grow their own food.

Of course, any talk about modern technologies would be amiss without artificial intelligence, and unsurprisingly, this diverse field is also making its mark on the dental field. For instance, basic artificial intelligence such as cross validating a trained sample with a test sample and supervised learning by providing the algorithm with the right categories to classify data points into, are already being applied in the field. Other AI uses involve mapping out structures, and researchers also believe that the future is bright as AI might be used for scanning millions of images and generating measures of value.

Finally, a cursory look at the global dentistry market courtesy of Fortune Business Insights reveals that it was worth $36 billion in 2021 and will grow at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.4% by 2029 to be worth an estimated $63.9 billion by the end of the forecast period. The research firm believes that the growth in ailments such as gum disease, and early disease detection will help the industry to earn more revenue. Some of the largest dental firms in the world are DENTSPLY SIRONA Inc. (NASDAQ:XRAY) and Align Technology, Inc. (NASDAQ:ALGN).

Our Methodology

Determining which country is the best in dentistry is no easy task. Unlike popular industries such as consumer technology, there is little coverage of the sector, and rankings such as the DMFT index only gauge oral health and not the quality of healthcare providers. So, to make our list, we used the QS World University Rankings by Dentistry, took a look at which countries have the top universities in the top 50 rankings, and took the median value of their score. For our ranking, the highest value of a particular university was chosen, because the median ended up skewing the results. For instance, the U.S. was ranked lower than the U.K. even though all U.S. universities had higher scores than their British counterparts.

10 Most Advanced Countries in Dentistry

10. Spain

Highest University Score in QS Dentistry Ranking: 74.2

The Kingdom of Spain is a European country with a $2.2 trillion GDP and one of the oldest historical roots. Spain has only one university listed in the top fifty for dentistry. This is the Complutense University of Madrid which is probably one of the oldest universities in the world as it was set up in 1293. In order to become a dentist in Spain, one has to study for five years immediately after high school and have taken science subjects in school. Like other developed countries, Spain also has a host of different dentistry companies. These are DENTPRO, INTER LINKS MEDICAL INSTRUMENTS, Kuss Dental, and EM Exact S.A.

9. Federative Republic of Brazil

Highest University Score in QS Dentistry Ranking: 74.3

The Federative Republic of Brazil is the largest country in South America in terms of its landmass and GDP. It is also one of the most advanced nations on the continent and is the only South American country on our list. Brazil has four universities in the top fifty rankings, with the highest one having a score of 74.3. This is the Universidade de São Paulo which traces its roots back to 1827. Brazil’s national health system offers free dental care, and it had close to 600 dental schools in 2020.

8. Kingdom of Belgium

Highest University Score in QS Dentistry Ranking: 79.9

The Kingdom of Belgium is a European country with a high GDP per capita of $62,065. It is known for its strong science and technology sector as well, with a variety of research institutes and universities. Belgium has only one university on the top fifty list. This is the KU (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) university in Leuven and it has a score of 79.9. This university is also in the top 100 universities in the world. However, there are other universities that teach dentistry as well.

Some of these are Ghent University, the Catholic University of Louvain, and Universite de Liege. Basic dental care is included in the mandatory Belgian public health insurance program. The Belgian dental instrument industry market was valued at EUR 1.6 billion in 2022, making it one of the largest in Europe.  On average, it has grown by 1.3% between 2017 and 2022 according to IBIS World.

7. United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

Highest University Score in QS Dentistry Ranking: 80.6

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a European country that is one of the most prosperous nations on the planet and a global power in international politics. The median score of British universities on the list is 72.4 but the highest university has a score of 80.6. This is the King’s College of London, which is one of the most renowned medical universities in the world. Overall, the university is tied at number nine with an American university, which then contributes to the U.K. being ranked lower on our list.

A British dentist takes five years to complete their education and ends up earning £84 per hour – more than three times the average salary of a National Health Services (NHS) worker. Additionally, dental healthcare is available both through the public and private sectors. Britain has 16 dental universities, with Scotland having another four and Wales and Ireland one each. Some dental equipment companies in the country are A-dec UK, Ai Healthcare Engineering Ltd, and Acteon UK.

6. Swiss Confederation

Highest University Score in QS Dentistry Ranking: 81.4

The Swiss Confederation, commonly known simply as Switzerland, is a landlocked and highly developed European country known for its majestic alps. Switzerland has three universities in the top fifty, with the University of Bern having the highest score of 81.4. Cumulatively, the Swiss universities have a median score of 77.3, placing them higher than the U.K. but lower than Switzerland if we had used median scores as a ranking methodology. Dentists earn an average of 115,000 Swiss Francs in a year, lower than what they would have been paid if they had worked in America instead. Dental care isn’t free either and has to be paid either out of pocket or with private insurance. Some Swiss dental companies are SAREMCO Dental AG, Axis Dental, and Esro AG.

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Disclosure: None. 10 Most Advanced Countries in Dentistry is originally published on Insider Monkey.