Becker's Dental + DSO Review

9 BECKER'S DENTAL + DSO REVIEW // VOL. 2022 NO. 2 DENTAL PROFESSIONALS The clear aligner boom continues for dentistry By Ariana Portalatin S everal companies in recent months have begun offering clear aligner services as the demand for more discrete teeth straightening treatment grows among patients. The clear aligner market is expected to reach a valuation of $30.2 billion by 2030 worldwide, according to a January report from Grand View Research. While adults represented the largest consum- er segment in 2021, the teenage mar- ket is growing because of the discreet and comfortable wear of clear aligners. Standalone practitioners held the largest market share in 2021, with North Amer- ica dominating the market because of increased demand, the high number of key market players, the rising preva- lence of dental disorders and advanced healthcare infrastructure. OraPharma unveiled their custom clear aligner system, OraFit, in February that is made with crack-resistant materials meant to stay clearer longer. New York City-based dental startup Tend an- nounced May 11 that it began offering clear aligner therapy with Align Technol- ogy's Invisalign across its 21 locations. The new service was added to supple- ment Breezy Braces, InBrace's behind- the-teeth braces, which Tend said has become one of its most popular services. "Since launching our orthodontic pro- gram with Breezy Braces, we've helped thousands of our members straighten their smiles. But we've also heard their feedback that they want more options," Doug Hudson, co-founder and CEO of Tend, said May 11. "By adding aligners to our service offerings, we're providing them with another convenient way to straighten their teeth, in the comfort of a dental studio they know and trust." In April, a new clear aligner startup com- pany launched its services nationwide. Str8, established in 2021, aims to ed- ucate customers on dental health and encourage regular visits by covering the cost of a patient's initial dental examina- tion and rewarding them with a $100 discount if they have received a dental cleaning within the last 12 months. ULab Systems, the manufacturer of uSmile clear aligners, completed a $20 million convertible note financing round in March it said would be used to ad- vance the distribution and development of its products. Not only are clear aligners seen as benefi- cial additions for the patient outcome and experience, but they have also become a good source of revenue for practices. Matthew Riley, DMD, owner at Riley Dental Group in Glasgow, Ky., told Becker's that one dentist alone has brought in more than $250,000 in collections from Sure- Smile since the clear aligners were added in September 2021. The heavy investment in these treat- ments are not expected to let up any- time soon, since several companies have gained new funding and landed partner- ships to expand their services. n 16 US dental schools ranked among best in the world By Ariana Portalatin S ixteen U.S. dental schools were ranked among the best in the world by QS, a global higher education ana- lytics company. The company ranked 70 dental schools based on academic and employer reputation, research citations per paper, H-in- dex, a metric used to measure the impact of an author's pub- lications, and international research network. The ranking was released April 6. Here are the U.S. dental school featured on the list and their ranking: • University of Michigan-Ann Arbor: No. 5 • University of California-San Francisco: No. 9 • Harvard University (Boston): No. 12 • University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill: No. 19 • New York University (New York City): No. 20 • University of California-Los Angeles: No. 21 • University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia): No. 22 • University of Washington (Seattle): No. 23 • Columbia University (New York City): No. 27 • Boston University: No. 29 • Ohio State University (Columbus): No. 37 • University of Minnesota Twin Cities (Minneapolis): No. 39 • Tufts University (Medford, Mass.): No. 44 • University of Iowa (Iowa City): No. No. 44 • University at Buffalo (New York): No. 51 • University of Southern California (Los Angeles): No. 51 n

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