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Gold Flash
27 May 1997
Dental
Accelerating
Commitment to Gold in the US Dental Market
EVOLVING PERCEPTIONS OF ORAL HEALTH ARE POSITIVE
FOR GOLD IN THE WORLD'S LEADING HEALTHCARE MARKET
Gold is Safe
Selecting the material from which your next
dental filling, crown or bridge is made is a decision you
can make jointly with your dentist. Simply stated, all dental
materials are not the same. The well known maxim Good as Gold
has a special meaning when assessing dental restoration materials.
Most dental experts agree that few, if any, other materials
measure up to the standards of gold. High gold-containing
dental alloys have a long history of compatibility with the
human body; allergies or sensitivities to gold are extremely
rare in contrast to the significant risks associated with
commonly used alternatives to gold such as nickel alloys or
mercury-silver amalgam.
Gold Offers Value for Money
Economically, gold offers true value because
it is extremely long lasting. One study has shown that the
longevity of gold restorations exceeds that of any alternative
material by a factor of two to four times. This more than
offsets the expected higher initial cost of a gold restoration;
also, fewer visits to the dentist definitely has patient appeal!
Gold Is Aesthetically Pleasing
The stability of gold in the mouth prevents
discolouration (contrast this with amalgam) and when gold
is used as the foundation beneath enamel-matched porcelain,
the colour of gold is highly aesthetic in contrast to the
greyish colour often seen at the base of crowns or bridges
that have used a nickel or palladium alloy foundation. Also,
discreetly placed high gold inlay work will look as good as
the day it was done many years later.
The US Dental Programme Stimulates the Supply
Industry to Promote Gold
The Dental Health Institute (DHI) is the Council's
executive partner for dental gold promotion in the United
States; its membership totals 18 organisations and represents
all major gold alloy producers and dental laboratory groups
in the country. The members focus their individual promotional
budgets on the promotion of their high gold dental alloy systems.
This totalled some $1.6 million in 1996, expected to rise
to $1.8 million in 1997, all stimulated by the Council's own
market development budget of $0.3 million that is utilised
to highlight the unique advantages of gold to dentists and
their patients.
Improving Market Attracts Industry Investment
The chart below represents actual and projected
dental gold usage in the USA in tonnes of fine gold:
Council promotional programmes have made a major
contribution in placing dental gold usage in the USA back
on a firm uptrend since they were introduced in 1993, following
a period of decline in marketshare in the 1980s. However,
on a per capita basis, the USA still lags Germany by a long
way at 0.06 gm/year versus 0.27 gm/year, indicating potential
for further tonnage growth.
The supply industry also recognises this. Leading
global suppliers Degussa and Heraeus have both increased their
commitment to the US market, with the latter acquiring the
leading US domestic supplier J.F. Jelenko in January
1997. Further such develop-ments are expected as quality-based
dental gold producers seek to participate in the world's potentially
largest dental gold market.
Major Dental Lab Endorses Council Programme
Glidewell Laboratories is one of the largest
and most technically advanced dental laboratories in the world.
Located at Newport Beach, California, their overall sales
have been growing at 20% per year, but sales from high gold
restorations have grown by 35% per year starting in 1994.
As one of the leading members of the Dental
Health Institute, Glidewell Laboratories is a dedicated carrier
of the quality message for gold to their customers.
If you have any questions or comments
on this input, please address them to Robert Owen
at:
World Gold Council
Kings House
10 Haymarket
London SW1Y 4BP
United Kingdom
(Fax: +44 171 839 4314)
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