AACD releases its 2011 State of the Cosmetic Dentistry Industry

Revenues generated from cosmetic dental procedures will likely remain stable, if not increase, in the coming year, according to a recent industry survey from the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry.

The AACD conducted its 2011 State of the Cosmetic Industry Dentistry Survey, and found that while the cosmetic dentistry industry has declined, then flattened, since a 2007 benchmarking industry survey, respondents strongly believe that they will continue to see increasing revenues from cosmetic procedures into next year.

Respondents indicated that the demand for cosmetic dentistry procedures was primarily driven by referrals from others who had positive experiences. However, compared with the AACD’s earlier survey, there was an increase of 25 points in Internet use by patients who discover cosmetic dentistry’s benefits online.

Other interesting facts gleaned from the survey:

Patient trends
• Compared with 2007, the number of male patients increased by seven points. Three-fifths of cosmetic dentistry patients were female (60%) and two-fifths were male (40%).
• Close to half of patients (49%), on average, are between the ages of 31 and 50. The number of patients age 20 and under grew significantly to 17% from only 5% in 2007.
• Of dental practices offering financing, 78% of respondents reported that third‐party financing options helped patients get to a “yes” decision.
• Patients cited “appearance” (97%) as their top concern when deciding on a cosmetic dentistry procedure. Other concerns following closely behind include cost and longevity of treatment results.

Procedure trends
• While the smallest in terms of cosmetic procedures performed in the past year, orthodontics showed the largest positive shift (10% more than data collected in 2007);
• Veneers have dropped 8% since the 2007 study;
• The majority of respondents (56%) expect that revenues from bleaching/teeth whitening procedures (the most popular cosmetic dental treatment) will stay the same in the coming year.
• Laboratory loyalty increased, as the majority (57%) indicated use of two or three labs, while 37% used four or more laboratories. The average is 3.15, an indication of increased lab loyalty over the 2007 average of 3.5 labs used.

A total of 1,068 responses to the survey were tabulated; 76% of respondents were American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry members. The survey was conducted via e-mail.

To see complete survey results, click here.