What Prima Dental Group does

Prima Dental Group is a privately-held UK precision dental instruments manufacturer headquartered in Gloucester, England, operating from a 55,000 sqft manufacturing facility at Waterwells Business Park, Quedgeley. The company traces its heritage to two of the oldest names in the dental industry with roots in 1874 and 150 years of cumulative manufacturing history. With 251-500 employees (disclosed as 250-270+ at UK production facilities), Prima Dental Group produces over 50 million dental burs annually across carbide, diamond, and steel product lines, supported by more than 100 state-of-the-art grinding machines including Swiss-made Rollomatic CNC machines originally designed for luxury watch manufacturing.

The company's product portfolio spans five core categories: Carbide Burs (operative, orthodontic, trimming and finishing, surgical, oral surgery, and the Predator premium metal-cutting line), Diamond Burs, Steel Burs, Prima Illume Polishers (covering composite, alloy, zirconia, ceramic, denture acrylic, and orthodontic applications), and Dental Accessories including mouth mirrors. Through its Prima Digital division, Prima Dental Group holds UK and US patents on Zirconia and PMMA milling tools used by dental laboratories for producing crowns, bridges, and veneers. The company has invested over £1 million in its dedicated Research and Innovation function (Horizon House, opened 2018), headed by former Sandvik engineering executive Dr Marilyn Goh, with additional grant funding secured from Innovate UK's SMART program in partnership with King's College London for a virus transmission risk reduction product.

Prima Dental Group generates revenue through a multi-channel B2B model comprising direct enterprise sales via the Prima iHub customer portal, distribution partnerships, private label programs (where the company holds an estimated 40% share of the US private label dental bur market), and joint ventures in Brazil and Hong Kong alongside subsidiaries in China and India. With reported turnover of £37.6m in 2024 and over 90% of revenue derived from international trade across 90+ countries, the company projects turnover exceeding £50m by the end of 2025. The business has self-funded its growth, including approximately £20 million in equipment investment over four years, and operates without external venture capital or private equity backing. The company has received Queen's Awards for Enterprise for International Trade in 2014 and 2018 and the King's Award for Enterprise for International Trade in 2024.

Name

Prima Dental Group

Legal name

Prima Dental Manufacturing Limited

Website

https://primadental.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1874

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Prima Dental Group manufactures precision dental rotary instruments, including carbide, diamond, and steel burs, serving dental professionals, laboratories, and distributors in 90+ countries. The privately-held UK company generates £37.6m in revenue (90%+ from international trade) via the Predator premium brand and Prima Digital milling tools division.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Dental Rotary Instruments

NAICS

Dental Equipment and Supplies Manufacturing (339114), Dental Laboratories (339116)

SIC

Dental Equipment & Supplies (3843), Wholesale-Medical, Dental & Hospital Equipment & Supplies (5047)

akta.pro primary industry

Crown & Bridge (Fixed Prosthetics) Fabrication (HLABAJAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Orthodontic Appliances & Aligners Fabrication (HLABAJAD), General Dentistry Group Practices (HLABAKAB), Prosthodontic & Restorative Group Practices (HLABAKAH)

Keywords

• Precision dental instruments
• Dental burs manufacturing
• Dental rotary instruments
• Dental milling tools
• Dental consumables supply

Headquarters

HQ city

Gloucester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Dental Burs Manufacturing and Sales: Core revenue from manufacturing and selling precision dental rotary instruments including carbide burs, diamond burs, steel burs, and polishers. Over 50 million burs produced annually. More than 90% of £37.6m turnover generated from international trade.
2. Prima Digital Milling Tools: Digital division producing Zirconia and PMMA milling tools for dental restorations, launched 2016-2021 with patented technology.
3. Private Label Products: Private label products available, giving distributors and partners ability to add their own brand, logo and description.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Prima Dental Group manufactures and globally distributes precision dental rotary instruments, including carbide, diamond, and steel burs, silicone-based polishers, dental accessories, and digital milling tools for dental laboratories. The company produces over 50 million burs per year from its Gloucester manufacturing facilities, serving dental professionals, dental laboratories, and distributors across more than 90 countries, with patented Prima Digital milling tools and Sterisafe sterile packaging as differentiated offerings.

Product overview

Prima Dental Group is a precision dental instruments manufacturer offering a comprehensive portfolio of dental rotary products. The core product line includes Carbide Burs (operative, orthodontic, trimming and finishing, surgical, oral surgery, and Predator Metal Cutting variants), Diamond Burs (operative and Predator lines), Steel Burs (operative), Prima Illume Polishers (for composite, alloy, zirconia, ceramic, denture acrylic, and bracket removal), and Dental Accessories (including Prima Mouth Mirrors). The premium Predator® brand represents their highest-quality metal cutting carbide burs manufactured with Swiss precision tools. The Prima Digital division handles their digital products including patented milling tools for Zirconia and PMMA. Products are available in multiple packaging configurations including Sterisafe sterile options, and private label programs are offered. The company manufactures over 50 million burs annually and supplies to more than 90 countries.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Prima Illume Polishers: Product line for polishing dental restorations including single-use sterile composite polishers, 2-step composite, 3-step systems for various materials (zirconia, ceramic, alloy, denture acrylic), and bracket removal tools
• Predator
• Prima Classic
• Prima Digital

Quantifiable outcome

• Produces over 50 million dental burs annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• King's College London (KCL)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016Partnership with King's College London to develop technology to help reduce risk of virus transmission during dental procedures. SMART grant project from Innovate UK (14-month project). Collaboration resulted in products being awarded additional funding from NIHR for pre-clinical study. Collaboration continues with more innovative projects in pipeline.
• RollomaticcoreTechnology or IntegrationSwiss company specializing in design and manufacture of CNC machines used worldwide for high precision parts including luxury watches. Partnership enables Prima to use machines with more skills and efficiency than anyone else in their sector for manufacturing dental burs.
• Gloucester-Hartpury Women's RFCminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSponsorship deal with 2023 Rugby Premiership champions and currently unbeaten team. Partnership focuses on supporting local community initiatives including rugby camps for girls aged 7-16 in Gloucestershire. Part of Prima's community engagement and skills development program.
• Gloucester Rugby FoundationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWorking with the foundation which nurtures next generation of female athletes. Sponsors of girls' rugby camps during school holidays, providing opportunities for young players to develop skills.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• NSK (Nakanishi): Japanese manufacturer of dental handpieces and rotary instruments, with a strong precision-engineering reputation. Direct peer in dental rotary instruments, particularly premium/high-speed segments where Prima's Predator range competes.
• SS White Dental: US-based manufacturer of dental burs and instruments with a heritage comparable to Prima. Direct peer competing in carbide and diamond bur categories, particularly in the North American private-label and branded markets.
• Brasseler USA: Specialist manufacturer of dental rotary instruments (carbide and diamond burs) and endodontic instruments, with a long heritage similar to Prima. Direct peer in the same product category with comparable B2B and private-label distribution model.
• Coltene: Swiss dental consumables and small equipment manufacturer with rotary instruments and endodontic products. Comparable to Prima as a mid-sized European dental products manufacturer focused on specialty consumables.
• Komet Dental: German premium manufacturer of dental rotary instruments including carbide and diamond burs. Closest direct competitor in the European premium bur segment with a comparable focus on precision, quality, and dentist-endorsed branding.

Broad incumbents

• Dentsply Sirona: Global dental equipment and consumables leader with a broad portfolio including rotary instruments, CAD/CAM, and imaging. Directly comparable to Prima as a supplier of dental rotary instruments and consumables, but at much greater scale and with a wider product portfolio.
• Henry Schein: World's largest dental distributor with extensive own-brand and third-party consumables portfolio. Indirect peer and channel partner for Prima, with comparable exposure to dental practice procurement and a similar international footprint.
• Kerr Dental (Envista): Dental consumables and rotary instruments brand owned by Envista Holdings. Direct overlap with Prima in dental burs and endodontic instruments, but operates as part of a much larger multi-brand portfolio serving DSOs and group practices globally.

Others

• Patterson Companies: Major North American dental and animal health distributor. Adjacent peer and potential channel partner for Prima, with deep relationships with private dental practices and DSOs that could drive incremental US distribution.

Emerging players

• Ultradent Products: US-based manufacturer of dental materials, equipment, and consumables. Comparable as a privately held, founder-led dental products company with a similar mix of consumable and equipment offerings across global markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Prima Dental Group