Justice Dept. Sues Top False-Teeth Maker

The Justice Department accused the nation’s leading maker of false teeth of illegally maintaining a monopoly by coercing distributors to not sell products of its competitors. The antitrust suit filed in federal court in Wilmington, Del., said Dentsply International Inc. enforced restrictive arrangements affecting more than 80% of U.S. distributors. York, Pa.-based Dentsply sells about 70% of the artificial teeth used in the U.S., a market share it has kept for more than a decade, the government said. The suit alleges that beginning in 1987, when foreign artificial-teeth makers attempted to enter the U.S. market, Dentsply began setting up agreements with its dealers that they couldn’t sell competing dentures. The suit also alleges that the agreements denied Dentsply’s rivals access to a network of U.S. dealers and prevented them from competing effectively. “Today’s suit seeks to restore competition in the artificial-teeth market so that consumers will receive lower-priced, higher-quality dentures,” said Joel Klein, the Justice Department’s chief antitrust enforcer. Dentsply executives weren’t immediately available to comment on the government’s suit, which was reported after the close of trading. Dentsply shares rose 25 cents to close at $25.88 on Nasdaq.