Industry Insider
Organization for Safety & Asepsis Procedures Fund Reaches $100,000
The Organization for Safety & Asepsis Procedures (OSAP) officially kicked off its landmark fundraising campaign to increase the safety of dental care worldwide at its 2006 annual symposium in Tucson, AZ. Thanks to the generosity and commitment of all the clinicians, consultants, companies, and publications who participated in the charity auction, the organization reached its first $100,000 milestone.
“It’s a fantastic testimony to the strength of the 1 Million = More Than 1 Million Lives Safer Worldwide campaign, which was the theme of the auction,” said Andy Whitehead, association chair and auctioneer for the event. “What a great start toward obtaining the resources to help improve the safety of dental care worldwide.” The campaign will provide critical funds that will allow OSAP to expand its programs, undertake new projects, and lead the way in helping dentistry address the rising threat from infectious disease. The goal is to raise $1 million by the end of 2008.
The auction was one of the events of the Annual OSAP Symposium, which featured a strong program that included the head of the Oral Health Division of the World Health Organization (WHO) and other internationally renowned speakers. A summary of the meeting is available on the symposium page of the OSAP Web site (www.OSAP.org).
OSAP was founded in 1984 and the nonprofit association is dentistry’s premier resource for infection control and safety information. Through its publications, courses, Web site, and worldwide collaborations, OSAP, and the tax-exempt OSAP Foundation support education, research, service, and policy development to promote safety and the control of infectious diseases in dental health care settings worldwide. For more information, call 1-800-298-6727 or go to www.OSAP.org.
LED Dental Inc Finalizes Four Major Distribution Agreements
LED Dental Inc, a Vancouver-based medical device company, has finalized distribution agreements with four of the North American dental industry’s leading distributors. Benco, Burkhart, Patterson, and Sullivan-Schein are now authorized distributors of the company’s VELscope™ Oral Mucosal Examination System, which recently received FDA 510(k) clearance. All four distributors are currently taking orders from dental professionals who have already been detailed by LED Dental personnel during recent dental meetings.
“The fact that four of the dental industry’s leading distributors signed on so soon after we received FDA 510(k) clearance is a testament to VELscope’s potential and the growing need for simple, accurate, and cost-effective oral mucosal examinations,” said LED Dental Inc president Wayne Rees. “Benco, Burkhart, Patterson, and Sullivan-Schein are our strategic allies in the war against oral cancer.”
The VELscope System consists of a light source and direct viewing handpiece that will be used during oral cancer and mucosal screenings as part of routine dental hygiene and examination visits on all adult patients.
LED Dental Inc, a wholly owned subsidiary of LED Medical Diagnostics, is headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The company develops and markets medical screening devices based on its proprietary fluorescence visualization technology platform to aid in the early detection of mucosal tissue abnormalities, including malignant and premalignant lesions, to facilitate timely diagnosis and treatment. For more information call 888-541-4614 or visit www.VELscope.com
Ivoclar Vivadent recently hosted an afternoon of the Nash Institute’s “Team Extravaganza Niagara,” welcoming over 25 professionals from around the country at Ivoclar Vivadent’s Amherst, NY, facility. The group received a preview of the latest product developments from Ivoclar and hands-on training from the education staff on the latest techniques in CAD/CAM technology.
“There is no way to advance dentistry without the research and development from the manufacturers,” said Dr. Ross W. Nash, co-founder and director of the Nash Institute for Dental Learning. “I always use the relationship with Ivoclar Vivadent to keep up on new products and what manufacturers do in the product development arena is vital to my career.”
Dental professionals were at Nash’s 5th Annual Team Extravaganza, held at Niagara-On-The-Lake, Ontario, Canada, from July 27 to July 30. The weekend was developed by Debra Englehardt Nash and focused not only on advances in dentistry, but in team building. As part of the weekend, participants not only spent time at Ivoclar, but heard from a panel of speakers, including Harley Davidson’s Ken Schmidt on “Branding” and Dr. Mitch Conditt’s hands-on workshop detailing “Direct Resin Inlays & Onlays.”
“Ivoclar Vivadent is an industry leader in dental product manufacturing and development,” said Dr. Gary Severance, director of professional services for Ivoclar Vivadent. “Our relationship with dental professionals throughout the world allows us be creative in our product development and we look forward to building those relationships as we advance through digital dentistry.”
Darby Dental Supply Promotes Two to Assistant Sales Manager
Darby Dental Supply, one of the nation’s largest privately owned dental distributors, is pleased to announce the promotions of Melody Scott and Tim Nichols to the position of assistant sales manager.
Upon first joining Darby, Melody started as an account manager. Shortly after, she was promoted to the position of team leader for Darby’s telecommuting program. Melody developed and implemented the program and presently continues to improve and maintain it.
In her new position, Melody will continue her efforts with the telecommuting program while aggressively recruiting for the group. She will train and coach new and existing sales representatives, develop sales programs, and handle day-to-day activities to impact sales and ensure customer satisfaction.
“Melody brings a wealth of industry knowledge to Darby, many years of dental experience,” remarked Michael Bocian, vice president of sales and marketing for Darby Dental Supply. “She has quickly proven herself to be a strong and positive team leader, mentor, and motivator.”
Tim Nichols previously held the position of sales support manager. In his new position, he will be responsible for developing and customizing motivational programs for new and existing sales representatives in the Pompano, FL, office, while reporting to Darby Dental Supply’s national sales manager, Scott Walsh. Tim will also implement and deliver strategies to increase sales growth while handling all day-to-day sales activities.
“Tim has developed himself within the industry to be a well-known, knowledgeable representative of Darby,” remarked Bocian. “This change has been a seamless transition, as he has been respected as a team leader and motivator for quite some time now.”
Lanmark Group Nominated for Three JASPER Awards
Lanmark Group, a full service health care advertising, marketing, and communications agency, was recently chosen as a finalist in the 32nd Annual JASPER Awards which are presented by the Jersey Shore Public Relations and Advertising Association (JSPRAA) to recognize excellence in communications. The health care agency was nominated for three projects created by its marketing and public relations department: Excellence in Writing/Media Kit (LED Dental Inc.’ VELscope), Media Relations/Press Release (Ansell Healthcare 100 year anniversary), and Public Relations Effort/Integrated Campaign (Ansell Healthcare marketing/communication plan). For more information, visit www.lanmarkgroup.com.
Ultradent Product Inc’s President/CEO, Dr. Dan Fischer, Selected as a Finalist for Utah’s Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2006 Award
Ultradent Products, Inc announced that Dr. Dan Fischer, president/CEO was selected as a finalist for Utah’s Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Of The Year® 2006 Award in the category of manufacturing.
The award recognizes outstanding entrepreneurs who are building and leading dynamic and growing businesses. In this year’s program, Dr. Fischer is among 25 finalists selected by an independent panel of judges.
The Entrepreneur of the Year program celebrates its 20th anniversary this year and continues to honor entrepreneurs who have demonstrated excellence and extraordinary success in such areas as innovation, financial performance, and personal commitment to their businesses and communities.
Ultradent Products, Inc is a leading developer of high-tech dental materials, devices, and instruments worldwide. For more information on Dr. Fischer and Ultradent Products, Inc, call 800-552-5512 or visit www.ultradent.com.
