How Trump's Tariffs Will Affect Global Dental Industry

The recent events in the world political environment, particularly in the US, unfortunately, will affect any possible area of technological production, including dental hardware.

Of course, we are talking about US tariffs for Chinese, Mexican, and Canadian products – this, at least, a controversial decision, will cause a significant rise in US dental equipment costs.

Due to this, top managers of key American dental organizations, including the American Dental Association, National Association of Dental Laboratories, and Dental Trend Alliance, sent a letter directly to President Trump expressing their concerns about the tariff policies.

Crucial Merch&Goods

According to that statement, new 10% trade taxes for China cover a list of important raw materials, tools, and dental equipment. Chinese steel and aluminum are especially important for that technological production, and new tariffs will notably increase prices throughout the importer–developer chain.

25% taxes for Mexican and Canadian goods will create additional pressure on the initial importers of dental production – members of Dental Trend Alliance, producing additional challenges for laboratories, clinics, and dental cabinets because these tariffs also cover FDA-regulated medical devices.

Finally, these price fluctuations will affect the direct providers of dental services – regular dentists who will have no choice but to raise the prices for almost any possible procedure.

Why It's Important For US?

The inevitable cost of dental care (minimum 10-25%) that follows new tariff policies will decrease dental service availability across the country. National dental health in UA is currently experiencing a lot of problems, such as existing dental deserts in most states, and rising prices on any kind of procedure and operation will aggravate the situation.

Considering that (according to ADA) about 21% of US adults have tooth cavities, and (according to NIDCR) more than 42% are experiencing periodontitis symptoms, new tariffs will make a situation totally devastating.

Additionally, the current anti-fluoride campaign that gained momentum in the United States, led by the controversial Robert F Kennedy, will help to increase the scale of dental health disasters in the country.

Why It's Important For The Rest Of The World?

Many top dental equipment manufacturers are located in the US, such as Dentsply Sirona, Henry Shein, Envista, etc. Their cutting-edge solutions are the standard for most regular dental practices across the world, and new import/export tariffs will cause a rise in prices in every country where these products are presented.

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