VideaHealth's best-in-class Al improves diagnostic accuracy while bolstering treatment acceptance rates

VideaHealth, the pioneering dental Al company, and New England Dental Group today announced an exclusive partnership to deploy VideaHealth's chair-side Al technology at all New England Dental Group locations in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. VideaHealth's dental Al platform improves diagnostic accuracy, resulting in greater treatment plan acceptance and ROI improvements, while ensuring patients get the right care they need, when they need it.

"We are committed to setting the standard in technological excellence and innovation for our industry. When evaluating dental Al solutions, we were impressed by VideaHealth's treatment accuracy, superior clinical insights, integration capabilities and the platform's ease of use," said Dr. Margarita Panajoti, D.M.D., Chief Dental Director at New England Dental Group. "The company has truly addressed the needs of the market.Between the power of the Al and the seamless integration into workflows, VideaHealth was the obvious choice for our practices."

Until now, dentists have relied exclusively on direct practice experience to make treatment recommendations, which vary from practice to practice. VideaHealth's Al is as useful for dentists with dozens of years of experience as it is for newly minted ones who are early in their careers because it standardizes detections and recommendations across the board.

"This partnership means that every New England Dental Group dentist can offer better patient care, realize more revenue and further reduce the risk of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension and heart disease," said Florian Hillen, CEO, VideaHealth. "With our Al, clinical issues are caught earlier, treatment plans are standardized, and dentists realize incredible efficiency gains that allow them to focus on patient-centered care.”

VideaHealth’s FDA-cleared Al algorithms are based on the VideaFactory, which houses the industry’s most diverse dataset. Dentists using VideaHealth’s Al technology can now make treatment decisions supported by highly accurate analysis pulled from hundreds of millions of data points, based on 50x more X-rays than a single dentist will see in their lifetime.

Smile Brands Chooses Dentrix Ascend as the Cloud-Based Practice Management System for 700 Dental Locations

Henry Schein One, a joint venture of Henry Schein, Inc. and Internet Brands, and Smile Brands today announced that Dentrix Ascend® cloud-based practice management software from Henry Schein One will be adopted as the exclusive dental practice management system of Smile Brands and its affiliated dental practices.

Smile Brands, a 700-practice dental service organization (DSO) headquartered in Irvine, California, chose Dentrix Ascend because of its powerful clinical features, as well as its ability to tightly integrate with Smile Brands proprietary tools via software application programming interfaces (APIs) and microservices architecture. This unique flexibility native to Dentrix Ascend enabled Smile Brands to leverage its existing proprietary technology and ongoing custom development to create a unique platform known as One Smile Ascend. This customized platform includes Dentrix Ascend as the native practice management software working seamlessly with Smile Brands’ developed tools.

After conducting an extensive analysis of the cloud practice management software market over the course of a year, as well as conducting a pilot with Dentrix Ascend across several practices and regions, Smile Brands determined that Dentrix Ascend was the best cloud-based practice management software available for their needs.

“Smile Brands is looking to the future in moving all of our affiliated practices to Dentrix Ascend,” said Steve Bilt, Chief Executive Officer of Smile Brands. “The vision and culture of Smile Brands, providing ‘Smiles for Everyone!®’ as we support our doctors, teams, and the patient experience, will only be enhanced through the clinical efficiency and easy access to data available with Dentrix Ascend. Smile Brands, like all DSOs of scale, has many needs that can be well met by a best-in-class clinical solution and a series of needs that are specific to the Company’s processes and path through history. The architecture of Dentrix Ascend makes it uniquely capable of meeting that complex ask.”

Dentrix Ascend moves practice management to the cloud, helping to increase practice efficiency and eliminate time spent on backups, software updates, and server issues. Because Dentrix Ascend is cloud-based, dentists can access their practice data at any time, from any location. It simplifies the management of DSOs, providing a central database and business reporting while allowing individual sites the standardization they need.

“Henry Schein One is committed to supporting Smile Brands’ goal of being a leader in the DSO segment that improves all aspects of dentistry,” said Mike Baird, Chief Executive Officer of Henry Schein One. “We share the same goals to help Smile Brands use the most advanced technology to simplify management in their practices and increase the quality of care for thousands of patients each day.”

To learn more about Dentrix Ascend, please visit https://www.dentrixascend.com/. For more information about Smile Brands, please visit https://smilebrands.com.

Company Recognized for Advancing Health Equity for Individuals with Disabilities

Henry Schein, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSIC) announced today that it has been named to FORTUNE® magazine’s "Change the World" list, an annual recognition of select companies that, through their work and initiatives, create positive social impact as part of their core business strategy.

Henry Schein was recognized for its leadership initiatives designed to advance health equity for individuals with disabilities, and in particular, engaging the Company’s key stakeholder relationships in support of this work. This is the third time the Company has been named to FORTUNE® magazine’s "Change the World" list. In 2018, Henry Schein was recognized for its efforts to expand access to oral health care for underserved populations around the world, and in 2020, the Company was recognized for its role as co-founder and private sector lead of the Pandemic Supply Chain Network.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, 61 million people in the United States live with a disability. Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are particularly vulnerable to poor oral health, and as a population have complex oral health care needs, according to a report from BMC Public Health. This disparity is due to various risk factors that people with IDD may experience, including barriers to accessing quality health care.

Henry Schein’s longstanding commitment to addressing the needs of the disability community includes the following activities, among others:

● Catalyzing public-private partnerships to advocate for and increase access to oral health care for people with disabilities. Henry Schein co-founded and provides ongoing funding, in-kind support, and leadership to Project Accessible Oral Health, a 501(c)(3) charity that joins health care professionals, industry, community organizations, and policymakers to raise awareness about care gaps within the disability community. Care gaps include the fees paid to dental providers by third-party payers, which are inadequate for the time and facility requirements necessary to serve this population, resulting in a small portion of providers serving this population nationally. In addition, training of the oral health care team is not readily available throughout the oral health education system, nor does every school have adequate clinical facilities and faculty to achieve this goal.

● Educating and training the primary health care community and future professionals. The Company partnered with the National Council on Disability to educate medical and dental professionals on how they can improve access to care for disabled patients, including skills for treating this population. Henry Schein also partnered with Special Olympics International (SOI) to advance diversity and inclusion training, create a health care provider directory, and donate health care products in support of Special Olympics’ Healthy Athletes® free screening and education programs at hundreds of events internationally. Finally, Henry Schein has engaged with members of the American Dental Education Association to develop the framework for a national curriculum to educate and train a new cohort of health professionals. The leaders of this movement include Dr. David Fray of the University of Texas Health Houston School of Dentistry, Dr. Allen Wong of the University of the Pacific Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, and Dr. Mark Wolff, Dean of the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, along with other institutions that are actively disseminating courses.

● Activating stakeholders and lawmakers to address oral health care inequities, increase dental care coverage, and improve reimbursement to providers. Henry Schein, along with the American Academy of Developmental Medicine & Dentistry, assembled a coalition of clinical and academic leaders and not-for-profit organizations to educate policymakers at the national and state level about the oral health needs of individuals with disabilities and the additional care expenses related to serving this population.

● Engaging clinicians and suppliers to design adaptive products and accessible dental offices. The Company collaborated with the National Council on Disability to advocate for the creation of American Dental Association standards for dental office design to better accommodate the needs of patients with disabilities, including a partnership with a national firm to design, layout, equip, and specify equipment and supplies for use in integrated health care programming to support patients with special needs.

“At Henry Schein, our work towards improving health equity and patient outcomes naturally encompasses our efforts for individuals with disabilities, given the large number of patients within this community and the substantial care gaps that persist,” said Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Henry Schein. “From our earliest days, we have held ourselves accountable to the five constituencies that make up our ‘Mosaic of Success’ – our customers, suppliers, Team Schein Members, shareholders, and society at large – and this model of stakeholder engagement has, in turn, helped advance our business growth.

“We have long recognized that strong financial performance and service to the greater good are mutually reinforcing objectives. Being named to FORTUNE® magazine’s ‘Change the World’ list exemplifies our philosophy of building deep, trust-based relationships that further societal change and drive corporate success, and on behalf of the more than 22,000 Team Schein Members, we are honored to receive this distinguished recognition,” Mr. Bergman added.

As part of Henry Schein’s efforts to support individuals with disabilities, the Company also established a disability task force comprised of several business units within the Company. Additionally, Henry Schein announced plans to establish an Employee Resource Group (ERG) in 2023 for Team Schein Members with disabilities, building on the Company’s commitment to fostering a diverse, inclusive workplace aligned with its Team Schein Values.

FORTUNE® magazine’s “Change the World” list celebrates companies and leaders that embrace corporate purpose and recognize how it can add value to business and society. FORTUNE® evaluates the companies by measurable social impact, business results, degree of innovation, and corporate integration. To view the entire list, please visit: https://fortune.com/change-the-world/.

The nationally-known dental consulting company selected Overjet's AI-powered X-ray analysis and annotation software to empower more dentists to provide comprehensive dental care.

Instant radiograph analysis, powerful patient education, and the daily patients dashboard are just three of the reasons why The Team Training Institute announced today it's partnered with Overjet, the leading provider of dental artificial intelligence in the U.S.

Overjet's FDA-cleared AI platform analyzes and annotates radiographs in real-time, detecting decay, quantifying bone loss, and highlighting areas of concern in different colors to draw the eye. Overjet even analyzes X-rays from prior visits so health providers can pull up older radiographs and compare them to the new ones to identify any changes. In addition to helping dental providers diagnose confidently, Overjet makes it easier for patients to visualize what is happening with their oral health.

"At The Team Training Institute, we believe that Overjet fits perfectly with our mission to empower dental professionals to improve the dental health of the world. We look forward to working closely with the Overjet team to help more dentists help more people," said Kevin Burniston, COO at The Team Training Institute.

The Team Training Institute was founded by Dr. John Meis and Wendy Briggs, RDH, and helps more than 3,000 members optimize their practices to better serve patients, run more efficiently, and grow their revenue.

"The Team Training Institute has a well-established reputation for helping dentists and team members provide world-class patient care, and Overjet is proud to help their mission with AI that is clinically-precise, efficient, and patient-centric," said Terri Dolan, DDS, Chief Dental Officer at Overjet.

To learn more, visit overjet.com.

A recently launched clinical trial at the University of Pennsylvania will evaluate a chewing gum designed by Penn Dental Medicine's Dr. Henry Daniell to trap SARS-CoV-2 in the saliva, potentially blocking transmission of COVID-19 decrease self-infection.

The trial will recruit participants from a pool of Penn Medicine employees whose responses to a screening system indicate that they may be battling COVID-19. Those who enroll will be given a packet of 12 experimental gum tablets, to be chewed four times each day, for three days.

The cinnamon-flavored gum is designed to do far more than freshen breath. Thanks to innovations emerging from Daniell's lab, the gum contains plant-derived material genetically engineered to contain ACE2, a protein found naturally in human blood and saliva. The ACE2 receptor is found on human cells and is bound by SARS-CoV-2 virus during infection. In experimental models, chewing the gum released the embedded ACE2, blocking the interaction of the chewer's own ACE2 receptor and the viral spike protein.

In effect, the gum is designed to trap and neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in the saliva and, ideally, diminish the amount of virus left in the mouth. It is hoped that less virus would mean a lower likelihood of passing the infection on to others or developing symptoms.

Daniell and colleagues are also working on another gum, containing a different protein, which could target a broader range of respiratory viruses, including influenza.

"I'm hoping that if this is effective and safe it will be the beginning of several other oral delivery drugs using this platform," says Daniell, W. D. Miller Professor and Vice Chair of the Department of Basic and Translational Sciences.

Findings from a preclinical study of the gum's efficacy in neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 and influenza virus in patient samples, published in Biomaterials in July, showed it could reduce viral load to nearly undetectable levels. The results supported an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for an Investigational New Drug, which went into effect in May and paved the way for the launch of the clinical trial. The gum represents the first Investigational New Drug submission for a human therapeutic protein drug that does not require a cold chain or protein purification. Read more >> 

Two-day global education meeting on the future of open systems in digital dentistry

exocad, an Align Technology, Inc. company and a leading dental CAD/CAM software provider, successfully concluded Insights 2022, the third edition of its global digital dentistry event, under the motto "Learn. Connect. Enjoy." The biennial meeting took place on October 3–4, 2022 in Palma de Mallorca, Spain.

"Insights 2022 truly exceeded our expectations," said Tillmann Steinbrecher, CEO at exocad. "International speakers and attendees from around the world joined us to explore the future of digital dentistry together and share best practices."

Dentists, dental technicians and industry partners from more than 45 countries attended the educational CAD/CAM event. The full, two-day program included informative presentations from top industry experts and in-depth learning sessions run by exocad software experts for both clinical and lab communities. Insights industry partners offered sessions as well, rounding out the diverse agenda of tips, tricks, and deep learning opportunities.

"This event provided us all with a much-needed opportunity to connect face-to-face," said Novica Savic, CCO at exocad. "Being in one location for two days of high-quality networking, learning and hands-on demonstration provided us all with great inspiration for the digital dentistry era we are in."

New Rijeka 3.1 release series and exocad software sessions

At Insights 2022, exocad's software solutions DentalCAD, ChairsideCAD and exoplan, and the new Rijeka 3.1 release series took center stage. MDT Michael Kohnen, Head of Global Application Support and Education at exocad, presented the 45 new and over 85 enhanced features for DentalCAD 3.1 Rijeka and provided a first look at the Rijeka 3.1 version of exoplan, exocad's open implant planning software. In dedicated software sessions, users were guided through new software features and demonstrated how to reap the full benefits of seamless digital workflows using exocad software.

International top speakers

Dental industry trailblazers ran presentations on how to use digital tools to achieve better esthetic treatment results for patients and to work even more productively.

The speaker lineup covered all points along the treatment spectrum. Dentist and dental technician speaker duo, Prof. Dr. Guilherme Saavedra from Brazil and Spain's MDT Waldo Zarco Nosti addressed the question of how digital dentistry works, from virtual planning to finished high-quality prosthetics. US-based restorative dentist Dr. Lori Trost inspired participants on the topic of dentures and presented her digital treatment concept. UK lab owner CDT Steven Campbell discussed how digital workflows can help address looming staff shortages for clinics and labs. MDT Sascha Hein from Germany offered valuable tips on how to reliably determine the correct tooth shade for esthetically high-quality restorations in the digital age. "Dentist-lab synergy in the digital era" was the focus of Smile Design Founder,

Dr. Christian Coachman, from Brazil. His lecture provided dentists and dental technicians with inspiration on ways to produce predictable high-quality esthetic restorations. UK's Dr. Gulshan Murgai presented his digital workflow based on a patient case with a focus on implant planning with exoplan. He discussed the planning of single-tooth implants, also with immediate restoration, and the restoration of edentulous jaws. Dr. Diana Tadros from the US discussed esthetics in her clinical session, explaining her digital treatment concept and how exocad's Smile Creator can be used in the patient journey to highly esthetic restorations.

Partner exhibition, partner sessions and software integrations

More than 50 of the top companies in dental materials, equipment and CAD/CAM presented their latest innovations as part of the Insights partner exhibition. The Insights Diamond, Platinum and Gold partners ran a total of 14 special sessions to introduce attendees to their products and shared valuable ideas for the application of exocad software solutions in connection with digital hardware.

Three new DentalCAD Rijeka 3.1 features and modules were launched. iTero NIRI technology and intraoral camera images are now automatically imported when designing restorations, enabling technicians to visualize the internal and external tooth structure and optimize the process of margin line tracing. The new xSnap module is a model attachment for a printable 3D articulated system featuring a spherical head, which allows a precisely executed protrusion, laterotrusion and mediotrusion. And Ivoclar's Ivotion Denture System, a complete workflow for the digital production of high-quality, removable dentures is now available in exocad.

Growth to meet demand

To provide space for its growing workforce, exocad announced it will open a new high-tech headquarters in Darmstadt, Germany, this November. exocad also opened a new headquarters in South Korea this past May. With the relocation of exocad's Asia headquarters, the company said it aims to be closer to its resellers and users from South Korea and to provide even more comprehensive services to customers in Asia.

Community, collection and connection

Insights 2022 provided a welcome opportunity to network in person with exocad experts, strategic partners and resellers. Following a rigorous educational agenda, attendees had the opportunity to unwind at the end of day one with an evening dinner and live music. exocad once again offered attendees the chance to participate in a charity drive by selling T-shirts. The collected funds go toward supporting a dental nonprofit organization.

The future is digital

At the press briefing, speakers agreed that open software architecture is a key to creating a comprehensive future in digital dentistry. Insights partners also reflected on the general direction of the dental industry saying that all processes are moving toward digital. They advised labs and dentists to embrace this digital transition and to discover what tools are available to help them reach the ultimate goal: better patient care. 

Next-gen oral health company meets rigorous standards to be named a PACE-approved provider for continuing education in dentistry.

SmileDirectClub, Inc. (Nasdaq: SDC), the next generation oral care company with the first medtech platform for teeth straightening, today announced it has been approved as a provider of CE by the Academy of General Dentistry’s (AGD) Program Approval of Continuing Education (PACE).

PACE is a universally recognized system serving as quality assurance for continuing education (CE) in the dental industry that is recognized in all 50 U.S. states and in every Canadian province. The program is based on 13 rigorous standards for identifying high-quality educational organizations and requires applicants to meet strict eligibility requirements. Once an organization has been recognized as a PACE-approved provider, its educational content can be used to attain and fulfill CE requirements for licensed dental professionals across North America.

“SmileDirectClub’s PACE participation demonstrates our commitment to developing and delivering high-quality, clinically sound educational content for dental professionals,” said David Rodriguez, VP of Professional Relations and Marketing at SmileDirectClub. “We are proud to support dental professionals with content and programming that adheres to the AGD’s nationally recognized standards”.

In order for an organization to be designated as a PACE-approved provider, it must adhere to the following guidelines:

● Offer a planned program of continuing dental education activities

● Ensure courses offered for CE credit have a sound scientific basis 

● Demonstrate oversight and quality via professional oversight

● Establish standards or criteria of excellence

For more information about the PACE program and eligibility requirements, visit: https://www.agd.org/education/learn/pace 

To celebrate World Smile Day on October 7th, Shiny Smile Veneers analyzed 15,000 Instagram posts in 50 major U.S. cities to find out which cities residents smile the most.

Key findings:

● Of the 57% of Instagram pictures that have people in them, 43% of those people are smiling!

● The cities that smile the most: 1. Cincinnati, OH 2. Birmingham, AL 3. Austin, TX.

● The cities that smile the least: 1. Baltimore, MD. 2. Providence, RI 3. Detroit, MI.

● Notably many of the cities smiling the least were located in the Midwest as well as the East Coast. 

Read the full report here.

In a major victory for Snow Cosmetics LLC, with implications for advertising and sponsorship agreements and consumer class actions generally, a New York federal court dismissed in full a lawsuit targeting the start-up teeth-whitening company for supposedly misleading advertising.

This initial suit also named Snow's celebrity endorsers, NFL star receiver Rob Gronkowski and Boxing Champion Floyd Mayweather, in a bid to generate as much press coverage as possible. Both have since been dismissed from the suit.

BraunHagey & Borden represented Snow in the lawsuit, with partner Douglas Curran serving as lead counsel.

The court ruled that the plaintiff did not have standing to bring the claims because he could not show that he had ever actually relied on any of the supposedly false ads. The court also called the decision to bring the lawsuit troubling, and strongly implied that the plaintiff's attorneys never had any good-faith basis for it.

The suit, filed in the Eastern District of New York, claimed that Snow's flagship product, a whitening system that incorporates an LED light in a mouthpiece, was ineffective and purchased based on misleading advertising. However, at deposition, the Plaintiff admitted that he made his purchase only after his lawyers, one of whom is a longtime friend and neighbor of the named plaintiff, had already drafted the complaint and sent a demand letter to Snow seeking a multimillion-dollar settlement.

The plaintiff also admitted in his deposition that he could not recall actually seeing, much less relying on, any of the allegedly misleading advertising that formed the basis of the lawsuit. The judge also noted in the decision that the plaintiff admitted that he didn't think he could pick out Mayweather by sight.

In dismissing the case, the court noted:

"Given . . . the strong circumstantial evidence Defendants have presented suggesting that Plaintiff only purchased the product in order to generate this lawsuit, the complete lack of any connection between the Plaintiff's testimony and the allegations in the Complaint is even more troubling. This is particularly true since the Complaint appears to have been drafted before Plaintiff purchased the product and seemingly without any attempt to conform the allegations in the Complaint to Plaintiff's actual experience." 

● Achieved significant increases in company metrics in the first 8 months of 2022 over 2021

● Realized a 126% increase in number of practice locations, 85% increase in employee headcount and 55% increase in company revenue

● Growth better positions Planet DDS to support dental practices nationwide, supporting the industry’s move towards cloud-based technology

Planet DDS, the leading provider of cloud-based dental software, today announced strong company growth in revenue, customers and employees. This growth is driven in part by a number of strategic moves following a funding announcement with new partner, Aquiline Capital Partners.

Compared to the same time frame in 2021, since the start of 2022, Planet DDS has achieved a 126% increase in number of practice locations, adding nearly 2,000 new locations nationwide. The company has also seen a 55% increase in company revenue and an 85% increase in employee headcount. Planet DDS was declared a winner for “Best Product” in the SaaS Awards healthcare category and recognized as an Inc. 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in 2022, coming in at number 2,489. This marks the fourth year that Planet DDS has made the prestigious cross-industry list.

The company’s growth is a result of a strong increase in practices adopting its cloud-based technology. This comes at a critical time in the dental industry: dental offices lost roughly 1,500 full-time and part-time dentists and staff in a single month — the sharpest decline since the pandemic, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. While many of these offices would be otherwise forced to decrease patient services resulting in reduced production, cloud-based dental software is helping clients maintain capacity in spite of the current labor shortage and risk of recession.

“During the Great Recession, regular dentist visits reached a low of 34 percent, leaving many dental providers worried about similar trends with the economic downturn we’re facing today,” says Eric Giesecke, CEO of Planet DDS. “These concerns are being compounded by the uncertainty created by the pandemic and the current labor shortage, and we knew that expediting access to critical, reliable cloud-based dental software solutions had to be top priority — and set growth, development and hiring goals to make that happen.”

Since the funding announcement in June, additional company milestones have included the acquisition of QSIDental from NextGen Healthcare Inc., the launch of Denticon Patient Engagement, and the creation of new roles across the company to meet aggressive growth targets. Planet DDS recently welcomed Mark Hong as the Vice President of Product and Kathleen Yetter as Vice President of Customer Onboarding.

“With the funding announcement from Aquiline Capital Partners, the QSIDental acquisition and the general acceleration in demand for cloud-based services, this has been an exciting year for the dental industry so far,” continues Giesecke. “Planet DDS will continue to roll out additional product capabilities and further expand our ability to meet this market need and meaningfully support dental service organizations, dental offices and the patients.”

To learn more about Planet DDS, opportunities to join or partner with us, visit www.planetdds.com.