Schaan, Liechtenstein – 16 April 2026

Based in the small principality of Liechtenstein, Ivoclar, a global company with 3,600 employees, has been developing innovative dental solutions for more than a century. At the first-ever Ivoclar Media Connect event, media professionals visited the company’s new campus at its headquarters in Schaan, where they had the opportunity to experience current trends and solutions firsthand. Training and continuing education took centre stage, with a focus on how these support dental professionals in adopting innovative solutions in their day-to-day practice. This focus is also reflected in the approximately 70 Ivoclar and partner academies worldwide, where students as well as laboratory and clinical professionals can gain hands-on experience with the latest applications and technologies in dentistry.

Around two dozen journalists watched closely as a group of dentists, fully focused, practised dental procedures on phantom heads. As part of a two-day course, they learned how to use Tetric plus, one of the company’s more recent innovations. This illustrates what Ivoclar stands for: helping dental professionals meet the demands of digitalisation, price pressure and rising patient expectations through efficient products and continuous professional education. Ivoclar believes that accessible training, both on-site and online, is key to the success of dental practices and laboratories. Every year, around 150,000 people worldwide complete hands-on workshops, masterclasses and webinars offered by Ivoclar to keep pace with the increasingly complex challenges facing dentistry and dental technology.

CEO Markus Heinz says: “In the dental industry, we are facing ever more complex challenges. At the same time, new materials and solutions are intended to make life easier for labs and practices. We see ourselves as the link between innovation and practical application. This helps reduce complexity and enables our customers to boost productivity without compromising on quality.” Training and continuing education have a long tradition at Ivoclar: As early as the 1950s, dental technology specialists were already conducting first hands-on product demonstrations in dental laboratories.

The social landscape in which the dental sector operates is changing rapidly: An ageing population is driving demand for more complex treatments, increasing prosperity raises esthetic expectations, and the growing emphasis on prevention leads to more comprehensive diagnostic procedures and preventive care. At the same time, laboratories and practices are facing a shortage of skilled staff, market consolidation, cost pressure and the disruptive impact of digitalisation and AI. Patients expect treatment that is comfortable and efficient, along with results that are both more esthetic and more durable. Global markets also have distinct requirements, calling for tailored solutions. Markus Heinz explains: “The idea of a single global market no longer applies. We develop our products in close collaboration with local users, ensuring they are tailored to regional needs. Expectations in Brazil are completely different from those in Germany or India.”

At the Media Connect event, participants were able to experience Ivoclar’s latest solutions firsthand, including the new OptraGate Dry Control saliva ejector and the Adhese 2 universal adhesive, which combines light- and dual-curing capabilities. “Materials will always remain at the core of everything we do,” says Martin Frontull, CMO of Ivoclar. “Quality has always been at the heart of what we do – a commitment that goes back to our very beginnings.” Manufacturing methods such as milling and 3D printing are driving the development of increasingly high-tech equipment. Digitalisation and the software solutions required to support it are no longer a competitive advantage but a prerequisite for fully integrated solutions. Martin Frontull adds: “Our customers work in dentistry, dental technology and dental hygiene. In a world where everything is converging, this is a major advantage, as it allows us to offer the entire range of innovative solutions tailored to individual requirements. What matters most is meeting our customers’ needs: the challenges they face, the applications they require and how we can support them even more effectively.”

These principles have been guiding Ivoclar for more than 100 years. The family business was founded in Zurich in 1923, has been headquartered in Liechtenstein since the 1930s and opened its first international subsidiary in Germany in 1954. From the outset, Ivoclar focused on the development of denture teeth and later expanded into research on restorative materials. In the 1970s, the company began manufacturing dental laboratory equipment in Bludenz, Austria, and in the 1980s it successfully entered the North American market. In 1991, Ivoclar revolutionized the dental market with the introduction of its first press-ceramic material. In 2005, it launched IPS e.max, which since then has become a benchmark in all-ceramics. Today, digital dentistry shapes Ivoclar’s research and development activities, including augmented reality and digital manufacturing technologies. Ivoclar currently employs more than 800 people in the tri-border region of Austria, Germany and Switzerland.