I-Dent develops product for less than $1m, raising $2m

I-Dent develops product for less than $1m, raising $2m
1 Mar 05
Batya Feldman
Globes [online]

The company has already obtained FDA approval for its dental product, which reduces the risk and cost of dental implants.

Start-up I-Dent Ltd. is embarking on its first financing round, with a goal of raising $2 million from venture capital funds and strategic investors.
Founded in 2000, I-Dent aims at the dental market. The company supplies software and accessory devices for dental implants. Its products reduce the risk of dental implants, and lower their costs.
I-Dent CEO Joseph Kowen, a former VP sales at Objet Geometries, said that the dental implant sector was growing, with 15% growth in 2004. He added, Çƒ?The implant field is growing faster than the general dental industry. Surprisingly, Israel is number one in the world in per capita dental implants. Many dentists specialize in this, and the resulting competition has reduced prices. IÇƒÙm astounded by media reports on the sector. Three million implants a year are performed worldwide. The market value of the implants themselves the implanted screws and the artificial teeth attached to them is estimated at $600-800 million annually, and the figure is still growing. These numbers reflect only 3% of those needing implants; 97% of those in need of a dental implant in the developed world are a potential for rapid growth in this market.Çƒ?
The idea on which I-DentÇƒÙs product is based is to make treatment easier, make dental implants less invasive, and lower the cost. The company aims to enable non-specialist dentists to perform dental implants.