Antitrust suit against teeth maker dismissed

YORK, Pa. (AP) -- A leading manufacturer of false teeth did not violate antitrust laws, a federal judge ruled in dismissing a civil lawsuit filed by the Justice Department.
Dentsply, headquartered in York, Pa., had about 70 percent of the U.S. market when the government filed suit in January 1999, and had maintained about that share for at least a decade, the government said.
The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Delaware, alleged that Dentsply International Inc. unlawfully maintained its market share by restricting most artificial tooth distributors from selling competitors' products.