Dr. Gerald Niznick of Implant Direct sent a letter to the Editor of IJOMI taking issue with its recent Editorial (JOMI 2006; 21:6) that claimed a direct correlation between innovation and high prices for dental implants. Dr. Niznick`s letter analyzes the published financial statements of Nobel Biocare and Straumann showing their cost of goods at 16% to 20% with marketing expenses in excess of 40% and research costs of only 3.5% – 5% of gross revenues. The editor saw fit not to publish the letter. The Editor acknowledges that Dr. Niznick`s Letter “raised interesting issues” and “describes financial issues that the readership rarely sees.” The Editor stated that JOMI “simply cannot afford to use pages for such letters,” to which Dr. Niznick points out that the journal contained 34 pages of advertising, many from the same companies who benefit from high implant prices.
