Leerink flags improving dental demand, weak equipment spend

DENTSPLY SIRONA

20/07/2026 11:35

** Leerink Partners says its survey of 74 U.S. dental practices shows "more signs of improvement than deterioration," though Q2 trends were "still lacking fireworks"
** Brokerage says patient visits and practice revenue rose modestly in Q2, while expectations for Q3 improved; specialty dental trends were "incrementally more positive"
** Says demand for clear braces grew 2% in Q2, while value and premium implant volumes rose about 2%, supporting its "outperform" ratings on Align Technology ALGN.O and Envista NVST.N 
** Says AI adoption remains early, with 13% of dental practices using AI in management systems, up from 8%, while interest grows in scan reviews and administrative tasks
** Leerink says dentists expect to cut equipment spending by 13.2% in 2026, buying mainly to "replace what is broken" while delaying upgrades due to costs, financing and macro concerns
** Brokerage expects "no meaningful deviation" in the group's upcoming results and maintains "market perform" ratings on Henry Schein HSIC.O and Dentsply Sirona XRAY.O

 (Reporting by Kunal Das in Bengaluru)
 ((Kunal.Das2@thomsonreuters.com;))