Roland DGA Corporation, a provider of dental milling machines and other advanced digital devices, has announced the formation of a DGSHAPE Americas dental business group, to be responsible for DGSHAPE dental solution sales, product management, and service throughout North and South America. 

Roland DGA has also brought on Tony Lopez, a dental industry veteran with more than two decades of experience, to lead the new DGSHAPE Americas business group as Manager of Dental Business. Before joining the DGSHAPE Americas team at Roland DGA, Lopez served as a digital program manager for Burbank Dental Laboratory, where he played a key role in both milling and 3D manufacturing. Prior to that, he worked for Glidewell Dental Laboratories, where he held several positions over an 18-year period, serving most recently as Manager of Digital Support.

In his new role, Lopez will oversee a team of highly skilled dental professionals. Juan Molina, previously Roland Care Manager, will assume the newly created position of Service Engineer for DGSHAPE Americas. On the product management front, Lisa Aguirre will serve as Dental Solutions Product Manager, also reporting to Lopez. Fernando Catania and Ian O’Neill continue to serve as US Sales Managers within the DGSHAPE Americas group, representing the western US and eastern US respectively. Chris Cicero, formerly Roland DGA’s Canadian Business Development Manager has been appointed Canada Sales Manager for DGSHAPE Americas, while Cesar Zeron will continue to serve as Sales Manager for Latin America.  

“The creation of DGSHAPE Americas—a dedicated Roland DGA business group that’s solely focused on our state-of-the-art DGSHAPE dental mills and solutions—will enable us to better serve our growing dental customers and partners,” said Roland DGA President and CEO Andrew Oransky. “With this talented team in place, we’ll be able to devote even more time, resources, and energy to this important side of our business.”

For more information on the complete line of DGSHAPE dental products, visit https://www.rolanddga.com/dental.

Ascentcare Dental Products, a dental products company focused on the creation of innovative dental technologies, has recently announced the release of their newest product, an illuminated HVE adapter for isolation mouthpieces that helps to remove 90% of infectious aerosols.

Simple, portable and affordable, the VacuLUX Illuminated HVE Adapter was designed to solve problems associated with other high-performance isolation systems while reducing bioaerosols produced during your routine procedures.

Studies have shown that proper HVE suction can reduce aerosols by 90% and the VacuLUX allows you to accomplish this without complicated installation of costly equipment. The VacuLUX adapter attaches to any existing HVE valve at any dental chair in your clinic. Simply plug in the adapter like you would an HVE suction tip and attach your Zyris or Dryshield mouthpiece for easy isolation and proper HVE suction.

As you increase your efforts to avoid cross-contamination, the one-piece design of the VacuLUX makes daily sterilization easy and quick. Other HVE adapters consume your time with complicated disassembly and reassembly for sterilization. Unlike the degradable plastic design of other adapters, the VacuLUX’s aluminum design will withstand your daily autoclave needs without costly replacement over time.

CEO of Ascentcare Dental Products, Austin Ritter, describes the reasons for bringing the VacuLUX to market: “We wanted to create an uncomplicated and affordable isolation option that both dentists and hygienists can use at every chair by simply attaching to a standard HVE valve. Increasing concerns over virus transmission have brought a lot of attention to an area of dentistry that was often overlooked: transmissible bioaerosols produced during routine procedures. Now you can increase your efforts to reduce aerosols at an affordable price with the VacuLUX.”

If you are a doctor who has closed their clinic to slow the spread of COVID-19, investing in costly HVE isolation systems does not make good economic sense. Ascentcare has lowered the cost of their VacuLUX for this period of time when many dentists are not practicing. You can get started with the VacuLUX adapter for a small fraction of the cost of other HVE dental isolation adapters. If you want the added option of flooding your work area with illumination, simply couple to Ascentcare’s multi-purpose and low-cost light engine.

When you return to your clinic, return prepared to make necessary changes that will minimize risks of contamination for yourself, your staff and your patients. One way to lower this risk is by reducing 90% of unavoidable, harmful bioaerosols with the affordable VacuLUX light engine. Visit www.AscentcareDental.com or call (616) 843-4900 to learn more about Ascentcare’s simple, portable and affordable VacuLUX Illuminated HVE Adapter.

National Dentex Labs (NDX) announced today that it is pleased to welcome Mr. David Waltzer as its new Chief Financial Officer. Mr. Waltzer will be responsible for all financial functions including accounting, audit, treasury, and corporate financial planning as well as acquisition integration activities.

“David brings more than 20 years of experience using a data-driven approach to drive profitability and sustainability across different industries. Specific to NDX’s interests, David has proven industry expertise in multi-unit health care services, manufacturing, distribution, and consumer products and services,” said NDX CEO, Tom Daulton.

During the early years of his career, Mr. Waltzer spent time in financial management in publically traded companies such as Lockheed Martin, XM Radio and Modus Link. Throughout the past 10 years, he has been a senior executive for three privately held companies; ClearChoice Dental Implant Centers, Pinnacle Dental and Caring Brands International.

A Florida native, Mr. Waltzer holds a Bachelors of Arts in Economics from the University of Maryland and a Master’s of Science in Business from the University of Baltimore.

About National Dentex Labs, LLC

National Dentex Labs, LLC (NDX) is a leading provider of dental prosthetics and restorative dentistry products. Dedicated to providing the highest quality products, exceptional service and latest dental restoration techniques and technologies, NDX offers crowns and bridges, dental implant restorations, guided full arch rehabilitation, appliances, and orthodontics, as well as headache and sleep therapy products. Headquartered in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, NDX has a network of more than 30 labs across the US. GDC Holdings, Inc. is a private equity-sponsored entity and the owner of National Dentex Labs.

BIOLASE, Inc., a leader in medical devices, today announced that it expects to join the fight against the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak by teaming up with MEKICS Co. Ltd, an intensive care unit (ICU) equipment manufacturer, to supply MEKICS’s MTV-1000 ICU-grade portable ventilator through BIOLASE’s FDA-registered manufacturing facility in California. The MTV-1000 ventilator received FDA authorization for emergency use during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“In this time of global crisis, it is vital that companies come together to support the fight against COVID-19, leveraging every tool available, and that’s exactly what we intend to do,” said Todd Norbe, CEO of BIOLASE. “Without hesitation, we expect to pivot quickly and leverage our FDA-registered facility for the manufacturing and delivery of the MTV-1000 ventilator and have already received over $10 million in orders. We expect to continue to focus our efforts to quickly ramp up production, with the expectation to double the number of orders over the next few weeks.”

BIOLASE has received authorization to manufacture and supply the MTV-1000 ventilator under the FDA Emergency Use Authorization and an exemption from the State of California to operate, market and produce this critically needed product. BIOLASE expects to use its years of experience in manufacturing and distributing FDA-cleared medical equipment to help supply ventilators and support the global backorder on ventilators during the COVID-19 crisis.

The BIOLASE and MEKICS collaboration aims to bring the MTV-1000 to the United States for the first time. The MTV-1000 is a field-tested, ICU-level, portable ventilator that has pressure-control and an internal positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) feature, which is often required for COVID-19 patients.

“Collaborating with the team at BIOLASE, who have years of experience manufacturing, marketing and selling medical equipment in the United States, is a great opportunity for us to provide this much-needed product to the U.S. public,” said Jong Cheol Kim, CEO for MEKICS. “We are doing our very best to meet the demand of the U.S. market and believe it is an honor to help the American public in any way we can.”

MEKICS Co. Ltd. is a medical equipment company based at 21, Sangjiseok-gil, Paju-Si, Gyeonggi-do 10911, Korea with 20 years of experience in manufacturing various respiratory products, including ventilators.

About BIOLASE, Inc.

BIOLASE, Inc. is a medical device company that is a global market leader in the manufacturing and marketing of proprietary dental laser systems that enable dentists and dental specialists to perform a broad range of minimally invasive dental procedures, including cosmetic, restorative, and surgical applications. BIOLASE's laser systems are designed to provide clinically superior, patient-friendly results for many types of common dental procedures compared to those achieved with traditional instruments. BIOLASE has sold over 41,000 laser systems to date in over 80 countries around the world.

Henry Schein, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSIC) announced today its latest virtual resource to help dental and medical practice owners navigate the COVID-19 pandemic. “Best Practices for Better Practices: A Henry Schein Wellness Symposium,” will launch on Thursday, April 9 at 10:00 a.m. EST. To register, click here.

As part of the Company’s continued offering of educational resources customers can rely on amid the outbreak, Henry Schein’s virtual symposium will present best practices on a broad range of topics from experts across a spectrum of specialties and backgrounds, including:

What’s Next With the Outbreak? – Bruce Lieberthal, Chief Innovation Officer, Henry Schein, with Dr. Amesh Adalja, Senior Scholar, Johns Hopkins University Center for Health Security;

Enhancing Team Morale and Maintaining Emotional Stability While Working Remotely – Barbara Fisenne, Vice President, Global Organizational Development, Henry Schein, with Dr. Kerry Sulkowicz, Managing Principal, Boswell Group LLC;

Maintaining Practice Financial Health – Natalie Westfall, Executive Director, Henry Schein Financial Services, with Mark Rosen, Partner, Rosen & Associates, LLP;

Patient Communications During and After COVID-19 – Andrea Gallimore, Product Marketing Manager, Henry Schein One, with Lois Banta, CEO, Banta Consulting;

Improving Patient Care with Telehealth Using Clinical Decision Support – Michael Casamassa, Vice President of Solutions and Planning, Henry Schein Medical, with Dr. Art Papier, CEO, VisualDx;

Maximizing Time During Office Closings – Scott Jackson, Senior Director, Ambulatory Surgery Center Segment, Henry Schein Medical, with Gayle Evans, President, Continuum Healthcare Consultants, and Sandra Sommerman, Senior Project Manager, Continuum Healthcare Consultants.

“Henry Schein has a long record of assisting our customers during difficult times,” said Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Henry Schein. “This virtual symposium is another example of how our customers can rely on us to help health care practices manage through a challenging moment. We are committed to doing all we can to ensure that our customers emerge strong from the pandemic, and the best practices detailed in this symposium is a part of that effort.”

In addition to the symposium, Henry Schein provides a rich selection of practical information to help customers with the wide range of issues presented by the pandemic, which can be found on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Resource Center. Customers can also find webinars on timely topics, and other helpful resources from Henry Schein and its partners on the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Education Center.

To learn more about what Henry Schein is doing to address this unprecedented situation and the actions the Company is taking to get more product into the hands of those who need it most – health care workers – please visit www.henryschein.com/COVID19update.

To register for the virtual symposium, visit https://henryscheindigital.com/covid-19-wellness-symposium.

About Henry Schein, Inc.

Henry Schein, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSIC) is a solutions company for health care professionals powered by a network of people and technology. With more than 19,000 Team Schein Members worldwide, the Company's network of trusted advisors provides more than 1 million customers globally with more than 300 valued solutions that improve operational success and clinical outcomes. Our Business, Clinical, Technology, and Supply Chain solutions help office-based dental and medical practitioners work more efficiently so they can provide quality care more effectively. These solutions also support dental laboratories, government and institutional healthcare clinics, as well as other alternate care sites.

Henry Schein operates through a centralized and automated distribution network, with a selection of more than 120,000 branded products and Henry Schein private-brand products in stock, as well as more than 180,000 additional products available as special-order items.

A FORTUNE 500 Company and a member of the S&P 500® index, Henry Schein is headquartered in Melville, N.Y., and has operations or affiliates in 31 countries. The Company's sales from continuing operations reached $10.0 billion in 2019, and have grown at a compound annual rate of approximately 13 percent since Henry Schein became a public company in 1995.

For more information, visit Henry Schein at www.henryschein.com, Facebook.com/HenrySchein, and @HenrySchein on Twitter.

The 30th annual Eastern Conference of Dental Laboratories (ECDL) has been scheduled for December 4-5 at Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

The ECDL will make more information available soon on its website, eastern-conference.com.

The AAE has published on its website a research article on COVID-19 and endodontic emergencies in Wuhan, China. The article is also being fast-track published on the Journal of Endodontics’ website, www.jendodon.com.

In late-2019, an outbreak of a new coronavirus, named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), was detected in Wuhan, China. A great percentage of patients with this disease developed symptoms of dry cough, malaise and high fever. During this time, several patients requiring assessment and treatment of endodontic emergencies were directed to the School and Hospital of Stomatology at Wuhan University (WHUSS). Here, the characteristics of these patients were examined.

“Characteristics of Endodontic Emergencies during COVID-19 Outbreak in Wuhan” aimed to analyze the characteristics of endodontic emergency patients at WHUSS between February 22 and March 2, 2020, and is the first descriptive study that examines emergency dental patients at the epicenter of the COVID-19 outbreak. It also provides suggestions for endodontic practice and infection control strategies based on these novel observations.

The research was conducted by corresponding author Dr. Dan Zhao of State Key Laboratory Breeding Base of Basic Science of Stomatology (Hubei-MOST) and Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedicine Ministry of Education, School and Hospital of Stomatology, Wuhan University.

The study concludes that endodontic emergencies consist of a much higher portion of dental emergencies in a COVID-19 high-risk area than normally. Reducing treatment time and exposure control are two ways to significantly reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 virus spreading during endodontic treatment.

“This latest research shows that vital pulp therapy can advantageously reduce treatment time, resulting in reduced risk of infection for vital pulp cases,” said AAE President Dr. Keith V. Krell. “It also demonstrates that the rubber dam, personal protective equipment and patient screening are of great importance during the COVID-19 outbreak in protecting clinicians.”

In addition, dentists should focus not only on the dental treatment, but also patients’ psychological status during public health emergencies.

The research comes on the heels of another AAE- and JOE-published article, “Coronavirus Disease 19 (COVID-19): Implications for Clinical Dental Care,” co-authored by University of Texas Health at San Antonio’s Endodontics Department Chair Dr. Ken M. Hargreaves.

“The AAE is swiftly disseminating the latest valuable research to dentistry and endodontics in the midst of this pandemic,” Dr. Krell said. “And it’s all easy to access on our website at aae.org/covid. We hope this latest information will further demonstrate the extreme importance of protecting endodontic specialists to help mitigate the spread of COVID-19.”

About the American Association of Endodontists: The AAE is headquartered in Chicago and represents more than 8,000 members worldwide. Endodontics is one of 10 dental specialties formally recognized by the American Dental Association. The AAE, founded in 1943, is dedicated to excellence in the art and science of endodontics and to the highest standard of patient care. The Association inspires its members to pursue professional advancement and personal fulfillment through education, research, advocacy, leadership, communication and service. For more information about the AAE, visit the Association’s website at aae.org. For more patient focused information, visit aae.org/patients.

BALTIMORE, Md. – Valli Meeks, DDS, MS, RDH, clinical professor in the Department of Oncology and Diagnostic Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Dentistry (UMSOD) is a recipient of a 2020 William J. Gies Award Achievement – Dental Educator.

The honor, part of the annual William J. Gies Awards for Vision, Innovation and Achievement, recognizes the efforts of individuals, institutions and organizations that advance oral health and dental education. 

 “I’m still wrapping my head around that this is a national award from a nationally prominent dental organization recognizing me for what I think of as just doing my job. But it also galvanizes me to try to improve and do it even better,” Meeks said.

Meeks has served for just over three decades as director of UMSOD’s PLUS Clinic, the state’s first dental clinic for Marylanders with HIV/AIDS who have no insurance. Established in 1989, the clinic remains Baltimore’s primary facility to provide comprehensive oral health services to uninsured and underinsured people living with HIV/AIDS.

“I am both pleased and proud that Dr. Meeks’ efforts over the past three decades on behalf of those living with HIV are being recognized with this prestigious, national award,” said Mark A. Reynolds, DDS, PhD, UMSOD dean and professor.

 “She has significantly improved access to oral health care for people living with HIV/AIDS, increased understanding of HIV/AIDS in the oral health community, and contributed to the quality of life for many.”

In 2013, Meeks also collaborated with the University of Maryland School of Medicine’s (UMSOM) Institute of Human Virology to introduce HIV testing in UMSOD clinics to identify, educate, and refer HIV-positive patients for needed care.

Additionally, she worked with UMSOM faculty and Marion Manski, RDH, MS, former director of UMSOD’s Dental Hygiene Program, to amend UMSOD’s predoctoral dental/dental hygiene curricula to include competency in HIV testing and identification of issues that lead to disparities in health care delivery. As clinical trainer for the MidAtlantic AIDS Education and Training Center, she established the PLUS Clinic as a regional center for the diagnosis and treatment of oral lesions associated with HIV disease.

Her accomplishments extend beyond the Mid-Atlantic community: In partnership with the Rwandan Minister of Health and Harvard School of Dental Medicine, Meeks was instrumental in launching a Bachelor of Dental Surgery program at the University of Rwanda College of Medicine and Health Sciences. This is the only dental school in Rwanda to offer a Bachelor of Dental Surgery degree; the Class of 2018 represents its first graduating class.

Known internationally as an expert on people living with HIV, she has given presentations in Brazil, Nigeria, Germany, Trinidad, and England, among other countries.  

Nonetheless, there is still much to be done, Meeks said. On her list is continuing to spread the message, particularly to youths, that HIV/AIDS is a preventable disease. “Prevention of new cases of HIV is our No. 1 strategy for ending the epidemic locally. Getting the message to young adults and adolescents, as well as to those at risk for acquiring HIV, that HIV is preventable is a top priority,” she said.                                                        

About University of Maryland School of Dentistry

The University of Maryland School of Dentistry, the world’s first dental college, offers superlative educational programs in oral health. As one of six professional schools and an interdisciplinary Graduate School on the University of Maryland, Baltimore’s 71-acre campus, it is part of a thriving academic health center that combines groundbreaking biomedical research and exceptional patient care. The school is Maryland’s predominant provider of comprehensive and emergency oral health services. For more information, visit www.dental.umaryland.edu

Henry Schein has developed a CARES Act Landing page to help dental professionals access the help they need during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The page covers the Paycheck Protection Program, Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL), the Federal CARES Act, and more.