Industry Insider
Robert J. Klaus retired on June 30 after 20 years as president and CEO of Oral Health America, the nation’s premier independent advocacy organization dedicated to improving oral health. He arrived at Oral Health America (then America’s Fund for Dental Health) in 1988, with a PhD in history, a vision for oral health parity, and a unique ability to communicate oral health’s importance to overall health. In 1994, Dr. Klaus led the organization to a new name, and a new mission of public advocacy.
“We celebrate Robert’s retirement with a mixture of joy and sadness,” said Kathy J. Zwieg, chairman of the board of Oral Health America. “His leadership has made an indelible mark on the way that Americans perceive oral health. He is a maverick, and a visionary, who brought unlikely partners together to collaborate in new ways to improve oral health and oral healthcare. On behalf of the Board of Directors, and members of the Oral Health America staff, I extend gratitude and congratulations to Robert and his wife, Joan.”
Dr. Klaus’s most recent honors include a leadership award from the Dr. Edward B. Shils Entrepreneurial Education Fund, a 2007 Distinction in Public Service Award from the Friends of the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, and a Special Friend Award from Special Olympics Special Smiles. The Oral Health America Board of Directors has established the Robert J. Klaus Distinguished Achievement Award for meritorious achievement in increasing awareness of oral health’s importance to overall health.
Oral Health America is very pleased to announce that George Rhodes, who recently retired as vice president of corporate communications and professional relations at DENTSPLY will serve as interim president and CEO of Oral Health America until Dr. Klaus’s successor is appointed. Mr. Rhodes has a lengthy history with the organization, spanning more than 30 years as a corporate friend, Oral Health America Trustee Advisor, and most recently as a member of the Board of Directors including terms as vice chair and chairman of the board.
Henry Schein Practice Solutions Promotes Business Intelligence Solutions
Henry Schein, Inc, will collaborate with Sikka Software Corporation to provide Henry Schein’s customers with further optimization of business intelligence and financials based on the unique capabilities of Sikka Software’s product offerings, which include Dental Practice Optimizer, Clinical Practice Optimizer, Fee Optimizer Fee Schedule Optimizer, and HotOptimize.
“Henry Schein is committed to providing our customers with superior, integrated solutions that enable increased efficiency and higher productivity,” said Kevin Bunker, vice president and general manager of Henry Schein Practice Solutions. “Sikka’s software products complement Henry Schein’s practice management solutions product offering and expands upon our innovative technology and services.”
“Sikka’s software products will support customers of Henry Schein’s industry-leading practice management systems, including Dentrix, Easy Dental, Dentrix Enterprise, DentalVision, EndoVision, and OMSVision, by providing critical intelligence in vital areas of their practice, particularly by showing return on investment in marketing, patients, fees, and insurance in an easy-to-use format,” said Vijay Sikka, president and CEO of Sikka Software Corporation. “This information allows dental professionals to make informed decisions that boost the performance of their business and support quality patient care.”
Sirona Reports Over 50% of all inLab® Owners Incorporate infiniDent Service Into Daily Practice
Sirona Dental Systems, Inc, has recently reported that over half of all inLab® owners consistently use the infiniDent service as their personal “extended workbench.”
infiniDent is an Internet-based service concept that caters exclusively to Sirona inLab® and inEos® users. It enables inLab and inEos owners to derive additional value from their existing technology investments by providing access to a rapidly expanding menu of materials and indications.
Laboratory owners are routinely integrating the infiniDent service into their practice because of the wide range of material choices infiniDent provides, as well as the services’ superior large-span bridge capabilities and fully anatomic wax-patterns.
Laboratory technicians simply upload their digitally designed restorations through the infiniDent Web portal and the file(s) are then sent to the fabrication center located in Charlotte, NC, for fabrication of metal or metal-free materials. The Sirona-operated fabrication center returns the completed framework to the laboratory within 3 business days.
The infiniDent fabrication service offers an extensive list of material options from material partners including VITA®, Ivoclar Vivadent®, 3D Systems®, and Sirona. In addition, infiniDent supports pure zirconium oxide, aluminum oxide, non-precious metal frameworks, and wax-patterns to support customers in their fabrication of high-strength restorations, including large-span bridges, and predictable shade matching.
For more information on infiniDent, please call 800-659-5977 ext. 145.
Plan to Attend BISCO’s 14th Annual Adhesion Dentistry Seminar in Maui
The BISCO Institute for Continuing Dental Education announces plans for its 14th Annual Adhesion Dentistry Seminar at the Fairmont Kea Lani Resort, Maui, Hawaii, January 26 to 30, 2009.
BISCO’s Adhesion Seminar offers dental professionals the opportunity to explore an island of paradise while learning from the most important thought leaders in dental technology and business practices. The speakers: Dr. Ross Nash, Dr. Brian LeSage, Dr. Byoung Suh, Dr. Rolando Nuñez, and Ms. Debra-Englehardt-Nash have all made contributions that have strongly impacted the dental profession. They are highly visible practitioners who lead the way, embrace new technologies, and inspire dentists worldwide.
BISCO’s 4-day educational program is specifically designed to enable participants to share their experiences and leverage the accumulated wisdom of participants. The program will cover the following key concepts: effectively selecting adhesives, predictable single-tooth replacements, dental makeovers without extreme reduction, composite mirroring, and building a strong practice. All participants will earn up to 20 CEU.
Tuition includes lectures (20 CEUs), handouts, a Hawaiian shirt, continental breakfast on program dates, a welcome reception and a farewell dinner, plus a $250 BISCO voucher. For a complete course outline and event details, download the registration brochure at www.bisco.com/ce/mauihome.asp or call BISCO at 800-247-3368 for more information.
MTI Dental Names 14th Floor Solutions as Marketing Communications Agency
MTI Dental Products, a leader in dental handpiece manufacturing, announced today that 14th Floor Solutions, a strategic marketing consulting agency providing marketing, branding, and creative services to dental, business-to-business, and consumer products clients, will conduct the company’s marketing communications. “We look forward to tapping 14th Floor Solutions’ strategic and creative expertise to make dental practitioners aware of not only our outstanding current products, but our very exciting new product pipeline as well,” said Haye Hinrichs, MTI Dental President.
For more information call 847-812-2879 or visit www.14thfloorsolutions.com.
The 32nd ASDA International Conference
The 32nd Annual American Society for Dental Aesthetics (ASDA) International Conference will convene October 22-25 at the JW Marriot Desert Ridge Resort and Spa in Phoenix. The conference will offer hands-on workshops taught by leading esthetic dentists, educators, and researchers.
Presenters at the conference include Dr. Irwin Smigel, president of the ASDA; Dr. Burton Langer; Dr. Ross Nash; Dr. Michael Miller; Dr. Buddy Mopper; and Dr. Damon Adams. Participants will have the opportunity to “lunch and learn” with some of the finest minds in dentistry as well as participate in three afternoons of hands-on sessions approved for AGD Mastership credit. Time is built into the program for exploring the surrounding desert area or making use of the spacious spa. Play in the 5th Annual ASDA Golf Tournament or relax with friends by one of the expansive pools. The conference will culminate with the 32nd Annual Dinner/Dance.
Please join us at this life-changing event as we offer 20 hours of continuing education credit in a personal and relaxing environment. Detailed information about the conference can be found at www.asdatoday.com or by calling 888-988-2732.
LED Dental Conducts Oral Cancer Symposium in Prague
LED Dental Inc, manufacturer of the VELscope Oral Cancer Screening System, recently conducted an Oral Cancer Symposium in Prague, Czech Republic. Featured presentations included:
- “Live VELscope & Photography Demonstration” and “Clinical Application of VELscope” by Scott Benjamin, DDS.
- “A Specialist’s Perspective: Clinical Case Reports” by oral pathologist Samson Ng, DMD, of the British Columbia Cancer Agency.
- “Experiences with the VELscope System” by Martin Scheer, MD, DMD, of the Department of Oral and Maxillo-Facial Surgery, University of Cologne, Germany.
- “Development of Clinical Use Strategies for VELscope,” a report on a 120-patient study being conducted by the University of Washington, presented on behalf of Edmond Truelove, DDS, MSD.
- “The Science & Research Behind VELscope” by David Morgan, PhD, senior vice president of product development and clinical affairs for LED Dental.
The event was attended by numerous key opinion leaders from the European dental community, as well as several executives from the VELscope system’s European distributors.
“We were extremely gratified by our attendees’ response to the presentations,” said Claudia Morell, international business development manager for LED Dental. “These highly respected opinion leaders clearly appreciate the threat represented by oral cancer, and the potential of the VELscope system to help dental practitioners confront that threat.” According to Ms. Morell, the VELscope system is now being distributed in more than 15 countries in Europe and more than 30 countries globally.
For more information, call 888-541-4614 or visit www.VELscope.com.
Nobel Biocare Announces Two New Additions to the North American Management Team
Nobel Biocare is proud to announce the recent additions of Mr. Tom Albright as the new vice president of Marketing for North America and Mr. Carl Uthus as the vice president of Business Development.
Tom has over 25 years experience in pharmaceutical/aesthetic marketing and sales, including leadership of the BOTOX Cosmetic launch in 2002 at Allergan and most recently serving as Vice President of BOTOX Global Strategic Marketing. In this role, Tom was responsible for leading worldwide strategic marketing for the BOTOX franchise, which grew to over $1.2 billion in annual sales. Tom brings a wealth of marketing knowledge to Nobel Biocare, and is particularly strong in direct-to-consumer programs for elective healthcare therapies.
Tom is excited about the potential for Nobel Biocare and implant dentistry. “Already in our market research efforts, we have uncovered a significant need to improve both appearance and function for the many millions of North Americans missing one or more teeth. Dental implants may offer benefits beyond expectations for many of these patients.”
Carl Uthus leads the newly created Practice Development Consulting component of the organization. The Practice Development group, which focuses on adding value to the company’s product offering through comprehensive practice growth initiatives; was established this year and has proven to be very effective in assisting practices grow their businesses, through the referral network.
Carl recently was Vice President of US Sales for Astra Tech, Inc, from January 2004 to May 2008. While at Astra Tech, Carl virtually built the company’s US sales organization, adding over 100 new sales positions and delivering an amazing 4-year compounded annual growth rate that well exceeded 40% (17 straight quarters of above market growth).
Prior to Astra Tech, Carl was Director of Sales for DENTSPLY’s laboratory division from 2000-2004, and held various sales positions in the consumer products space before joining DENTSPLY.
Carl is quite enthusiastic about the initiatives under way at Nobel Biocare, “I am looking forward to building our customer’s businesses through increased patient awareness of the benefits of dental implants as a treatment option for missing teeth.”
For more information, visit: www.nobelbiocare.com.
To submit a news item for Industry Insider, e-mail a press release and high-resolution photograph to Justin Romano at jromano@aegiscomm.com.
