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CPC Subclass Not Allocatable
A61C

DENTISTRY; APPARATUS OR METHODS FOR ORAL OR DENTAL HYGIENE (non-driven toothbrushes A46B; preparations for dentistry A61K6/00; preparations for cleaning the teeth or mouth A61K8/00, A61Q11/00)

Description

A61C covers dental and oral hygiene technologies, encompassing dental treatment apparatus, oral care devices, and methods for maintaining or improving dental health. This subclass includes dental drills, tooth cleaning equipment, denture construction and fitting, orthodontic devices, and preventive oral hygiene tools. It addresses both professional dental practice equipment and consumer dental care products, excluding general medical instruments or pharmaceuticals that are not specifically designed for oral application.

Filing statistics

CPC subclass A61C recorded 76,655 patent applications worldwide between 2013 and 2023. Annual filings grew from 5,555 in 2013 to 5,914 in 2023 (+6%), peaking at 8,692 applications in 2020. The most active applicants in class A61 are PHILIPS ELECTRONICS (20,621 applications), NOVARTIS (15,792 applications) and ROCHE (14,303 applications).

Source: EPO PATSTAT, worldwide filings

15 direct subcodes

Child Classifications

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  • A61C 2203/00 Means for making patients feel at ease during dental treatment, e.g. dental instruments in the form of toys

Top Applicants

Top 10 applicants by patent filingsfor class A61, 2013–2023, worldwide · Source: EPO PATSTAT

  1. PHILIPS ELECTRONICS NL 20,621
  2. NOVARTIS CH 15,792
  3. ROCHE CH 14,303
  4. COVIDIEN US 13,862
  5. HARVARD UNIVERSITY US 13,454
  6. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA US 12,798
  7. P&G (PROCTER & GAMBLE COMPANY) US 12,140
  8. L'OREAL FR 11,800
  9. OLYMPUS CORPORATION JP 9,894
  10. BOSTON SCIENTIFIC SCIMED US 9,513