Trade News

Vatech America, Inc., has signed a dealership agreement with Burkhart Dental Supply.

"Burkhart's commitment to integrity, knowledge, and client success, combined with Vatech's mission to treat every client's 3D/2D digital imaging needs as their very own, will provide meaningful direction to evolve the dental industry," said Paul Blocchi, Vatech's vice president of sales and marketing.

GlaxoSmithKline and DENTSPLY International have entered into an agreement to create a portfolio of co-branded oral care products to be used in the dental office by patients suffering from tooth sensitivity.

In December 2009, GSK acquired NovaMin® through the purchase of NovaMin Technology Inc. NovaMin is a patent protected innovative calcium phosphate technology which has been clinically proven to relieve tooth sensitivity. The agreement will allow DENTSPLY to co-brand its NUPRO® products which contain the NovaMintechnology, with GSK's Sensodyne® brand. This co-branding will provide a continuum of care for tooth sensitivity treatment from the dental office to everyday use at home.

The agreement also provides for the use of both companies' technical, clinical, and marketing resources to offer a comprehensive range of tooth sensitivity treatment options for the dental professional and the patient. While the agreement allows DENTSPLY to develop a portfolio of professional tooth sensitivity products, in the short term, DENTSPLY will release two, co-branded dental products containing the NovaMin technology: NUPRO Sensodyne Professional prophy paste and Sensodyne NUPRO Professional toothpaste.

DentalEZ® Group is pleased to announce that 2011 marks the 100th year of its StarDental® product line.

Over the last 100 years, StarDental has introduced many new technologies to the dental community, including the LubeFree™ handpiece, built-in handpiece light source, and the sonic scaler. The company began in 1911 as a simple operation. Today, StarDental is part of the DentalEZ product family.

"We are as committed today as we were 100 years ago on establishing new industry standards for design, quality, and service to the dental industry and profession," said Rick Gross, StarDental senior product manager.

Midmark has realigned its dental division's sales and marketing teams as the division grows and its product lines gain momentum in the industry.

Jim Aycock, formerly the director of sales for Midmark's dental division and holding more than 18 years of experience with Midmark, has accepted the newly created role of director of marketing and business development. In this role, Aycock will direct Midmark's marketing efforts, leading the team of product managers, and will be responsible for forging alliances and seeking out potential acquisitions.

Ted Kehagias has been promoted to the director of sales and is responsible for managing Midmark's dental sales teams in the United States, Canada, Central America, South America, and Asia. Kehagias has been with Midmark since 2007 as a regional sales manager and has been instrumental in building a strong Eastern region.

Bill Zulauf, who is well-known in the industry, and with a long history of bringing products to the dental market, will assume the role of senior product manager for Midmark's imaging products, dental and animal health divisions, as well as for Midmark's air and vac product families.

"I am pleased to announce this realignment of our sales and marketing teams," stated Eric Shirley, vice president and general manager, dental division. "These successful individuals bring a wealth of knowledge, talent and experience to their new positions and I am confident they will effectively lead our marketing efforts, bringing even more products and expertise to the dental market as we strive for effective and efficient patient care for our customers."

Pulpdent Corporation has developed a catalyst that successfully synthesizes PMGDM, a material essential for formulating certain dental adhesives. The chemical reaction that synthesizes the PMGDM molecule requires a special catalyst, and that catalyst suddenly became unavailable last summer, which resulted in a worldwide stoppage of the production of the PMGDM. After many months of intensive research, Pulpdent was able to synthesize the catalyst, thus ending the shortage. Pulpdent is the only company in the world now synthesizing PMGDM suitable for manufacturing dental adhesives.

Vatech America has announced a partnership with EdgeDent, a provider of dental equipment, office design, and client support services.

EdgeDent consists of professionals with a common goal of providing dentists with first-rate equipment in an expertly designed, ergonomic office.

Travis Harrison, director of business development at Vatech America, commented, "EdgeDent brings an exceptional track record of high technology equipment sales and support that positions both companies for success by placing focus on total client satisfaction."

Whip Mix has acquired the Jelrus burnout oven product line from Air Techniques, Inc. Whip Mix will be responsible for the manufacturing, sales, and repairs for both in and out of warranty for the Jelrus Infinity and P.D.Q Digital Single-Stage burnout ovens and distribution will continue through a global dealer network.

"Jelrus, the dental laboratory division of Air Techniques, has a proven record of providing well built, dependable lab equipment and the acquisition enhances the existing Whip Mix Furnace product line", said David Steinbock, Whip Mix vice president (pictured above, left).

"We want to see the Jelrus burnout ovens continue to be a fixture in dental labs for many years to come," added Rich Povak, president of Air Techniques (pictured above, right). "Lou Brooks would be proud."

D. Clark Turner, PhD, president and chief executive officer of Aribex Inc. (left), was awarded the Utah Governor's Medal for Science and Technology in a recent ceremony. Utah Governor Gary Herbert (right) made the presentation to Dr. Turner and six others for providing distinguished service that has benefited the State of Utah.

"I am privileged and grateful to be recognized among the other accomplished individuals who are receiving this most prestigious award tonight, and I share this with the great individuals with whom I've worked over the years." said Dr. Turner. "The state of Utah provides a rich community for advancements in science and technology, and I am a beneficiary of that innovative environment."

The nomination for this award was made because of Turner's development of the NOMAD Handheld X-ray System, which fills the need for a truly portable, lightweight dental X-ray. Thousands of NOMAD devices are now in use, and Dr. Turner's invention has also made access to dental care possible in countless remote humanitarian clinics around the world. The device has been recognized as a runner-up in the Wall Street Journal technology innovation awards for 2010.

Midmark Corporation has introduced its Dental Family Program, offering dentists and dental facilities rebates with the purchase of eligible Midmark dental equipment. The program runs through May 31, 2011, and includes several Midmark dental operatory, cabinetry, and imaging products.

"Midmark dental equipment when used together as a family of products can provide increased efficiency, proper ergonomics and improved aesthetics for dental facilities," commented Jim Aycock, Midmark director of marketing and business development, dental products. "Each product is designed to work together to create a more efficient, effective clinical environment no matter how small or large the facility."

Important program dates include:

Order period: Now until May 31, 2011

Must take shipment of products by: June 30, 2011

Must claim incentives by: July 31, 2011

For complete program details and product information, visit midmark.com. To redeem incentives, please visit midmarkdentalfamilyprogram.com.

Dentatus announces DMX Implants, a Dentatus division, formed to better meet the demands of its growing implant product lines.

DMX Implants is affiliating with dental laboratories nationwide to set up regional hands-on training centers that will teach dentists to use ANEW® Implants. According to Dentatus, this implant system enables dentists to treat a greater number of patients who would otherwise not be candidates for implant treatment. ANEW Implants are minimally invasive, economical, and "designed to fit where no others can," the company states.

The newest Anew certified regional training centers are Dental Arts Laboratories in Lincolnshire, Ill., and MicroDental Laboratories in Dublin, Calif.

Orabrush has announced that the company has become the world's second-most-subscribed sponsor channel on YouTube. Since it exploded onto the social media scene in 2009, the company's high-energy, offbeat videos — which feature snappy dialogue, precocious interactions between spokesman Austin Craig and seemingly random members of the public, and a giant tongue named Morgan — have garnered 33 million-plus channel views and more than 105,000 subscribers.

To achieve this viewer milestone, Orabrush passed industry giants Apple and Sims and other top global brands. The rapidly-growing startup now trails only the video game InfinityWard in subscribers, and is fast approaching the top spot. The company's social media success extends to other venues: Orabrush has more than 266,000 Facebook fans; was recognized by AdAge as one of 2010's 10 highest-impact social media campaigns; achieved a top-two finish in Google's TV for All 2010 contest; and its inaugural ad was recognized as one of the "moments that defined YouTube" in 2010.

"Passing great brands like Apple, Sims, Wii and Burger King to become the second most-subscribed sponsor brand on YouTube is pretty amazing," said Jeffrey Harmon, chief marketing officer of Orabrush. "Apple's $300 billion empire is sustained by an army of loyal enthusiasts. Now Orabrush — a little 5-dollar tongue cleaner that helps cure bad breath — is developing a passionate following of its own."

Florida-based biopharmaceutical company Oragenics, Inc., has awarded PharmaForce, ApS exclusive rights to incorporate its ProBiora3® oral care probiotics in adult oral care products in Denmark and Finland.

PharmaForce ApS is a Danish-owned company founded in 2005 that has offices in Hvalsø in Central New Zealand. PharmaForce is an established company that markets probiotics on the Nordic market and works to promote awareness of the many benefits probiotics offer.

3M ESPE announces the addition of Argen®, manufacturer of CAD/CAM designed metal copings, to its Lava™ Network. This partnership gives labs with the 3M ESPE Lava Scan ST Design System the ability to export files for metal laser melted substructures. The move is part of 3M ESPE's continuing effort to improve lab productivity, and will allow owners of the Lava Scan ST Scanner to reduce expenses incurred during the production of a traditional porcelain-fused-to-metal (PFM) restoration, including waxing, casting, investing, and metal inventory stocking.

"We are very pleased with the quality of the restorations coming from the Lava Design System," said Anton Woolf, chief executive officer of Argen. "Argen is proud to be a leader in the digital space, and our connectivity with the Lava Network enables us to collaborate with a world leader in offering superior solutions to our customers."

"The connection between Argen and 3M ESPE allows us to use our Lava Scan ST scanner to improve output of metal copings and frameworks," said Steve Proctor, owner of New Generation Laboratory. "This gives our laboratory the ability to produce more cases digitally and bill more product each day."

LED Dental recently announced that Henry Schein Dental will be the exclusive distributor of its revolutionary new VELscope Vx Enhanced Oral Assessment system in North America. Since its inception, more than 6,000 VELscope systems around the world have been used to conduct over 10 million oral health exams, which is more than any other oral disease detection technology.

The VELscope Vx system is the latest and most advanced generation of VELscope technology. While retaining all of the capabilities of prior generations, its cordless design provides significantly greater portability and convenience. Moreover, a price of less than half the level of prior generations makes it feasible for many practices to have one in two or more operatories. In addition, a reimbursement code has been approved for this procedure, and is honored by many insurance companies.

"As the world leader in oral disease detection, it was our desire to partner with the world leader in dental distribution," said Peter Whitehead, founder and chief executive officer of LED Dental.

According to Tim Sullivan, president of Henry Schein Dental, "We are committed to offering our dental customers the most technologically-advanced products available to enable them to provide the highest possible quality of care to patients. Being able to offer the VELscope Vx system exclusively throughout North America certainly furthers that commitment."

Henry Schein, Inc., and its supplier partners once again joined with the American Dental Association (ADA), Colgate-Palmolive and DEXIS to sponsor the ninth annual ADA "Give Kids A Smile Day."

Henry Schein Dental, the U.S. Dental division of Henry Schein, serves as the exclusive professional product sponsor of "Give Kids A Smile Day." With the participation of 34 supplier partners, the Company was once again able to support oral health care screenings for hundreds of thousands of children throughout the United States. More than 45,000 dental team volunteers, including more than 12,000 dentists, participated in events held at 1,750 locations serving more than 400,000 children. Since the inception of "Give Kids A Smile," Henry Schein and its supplier partners have donated more than $11 million in valuable products and services to the program.

"With today's ‘Give Kids A Smile' events around the country, we once again focus attention on the importance of oral health care for underserved children through this wonderful example of public-private partnership," said Stanley M. Bergman, chairman and chief executive officer of Henry Schein. "Give Kids A Smile and other initiatives like it around the country are some of the most effective ways we have seen to help narrow the gap in accessing oral health care by increasing awareness of the issue among policymakers, and by providing screening, treatment and education to children in underserved communities."

The ADA has expanded the Give Kids A Smile program into a year-round effort to increase access to dental care for underserved children. The ADA's "Give Kids A Smile" National Advisory Board, which is chaired by Steve Kess, Vice President of Global Professional Relations for Henry Schein, focuses on expanding this initiative in three primary areas — program enhancement, fundraising, and hosting an annual Promising Practices Symposium where similar programs can share best practices.

Those companies supporting the 2011 "Give Kids A Smile" program included 3M ESPE Dental, Acteon North America, Ansell Healthcare Products, Axis Dental Corporation, Biotrol International, Centrix, Inc., Coltene/Whaledent Inc., Crosstex International, DASH Medical Gloves, Inc., DENTSPLY International, DMG America, Dux Dental, GC America Inc., Harry J. Bosworth Company, Hu-Friedy Manufacturing Company, Kimberly-Clark, L&R Manufacturing Company, Medicom Inc., Microflex Corporation, Miltex, Inc., Premier Dental Products Company, Richmond Dental Products Company, Kerr Sybron Dental Specialties, Sempermed USA, Septodont, Inc., Southern Dental, Sultan Healthcare, Inc., Sunstar Americas, Inc., TIDI Products, LLC, Total Care, Tuttnauer USA Co., Waterpik Technologies, Young Dental, and Zirc Company.

One of Midmark's premier products received the GOOD DESIGN™ Award at the Chicago Anthenaeum. Midmark was honored by the world's most recognized program for design excellence for the design of its Progeny Vantage™ Digital Panoramic System.

"We are honored that Midmark's Vantage was chosen for this award," stated John MacLennan, vice president, sales and marketing of Midmark's Progeny imaging products. The Progeny Vantage was designed to bring full-featured, high-value digital panoramic imaging to general dentistry. By focusing on simplicity and sophisticated technology, the Vantage has set the new standard in digital panoramic imaging. This award demonstrates our dedication to the continuing advancement of imaging within the dental profession."

Vantage was nominated by CHOi Design, a partner in product development.

Award winners will be featured on the museum's Web site at www.chi-athenaeum.org. Winning designs will be displayed at the annual GOOD DESIGN show in Chicago in June.

New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD) recently received a gift from Dentsply International of more than $450,000 to promote research in implant dentistry. Dentsply's gift will be used to further the mission of NYUCD's implant program, the first dental school in the United States to teach implant dentistry to predoctoral students.

"The NYU College of Dentistry's reputation as a national and international leader in implant dentistry rests on the clinical research we conduct, research that is made possible by the generosity of major benefactors," said NYUCD Dean Charles N. Bertolami. "We are extremely grateful for the gift to NYUCD from Dentsply International, to advance NYUCD's clinical research mission in implant dentistry."

The Argen Corporation (Argen) and Precious Chemicals (Captek), the creators and marketers of the Captek technology, recently announced that Argen has acquired the worldwide exclusive manufacturing and distribution rights for all Captek products and technologies.

"We are very excited about this opportunity for Argen and Captek," said Anton Woolf, chief executive officer of Argen. "We believe that Argen's vast global presence and unparalleled distribution network, combined with Captek's strong brand recognition and customer-focused vision, will further strengthen Argen's position in the marketplace and ensure growth of the Captek technology. We are proud to welcome Nick and his team into the Argen Family."

Patterson Dental and Airway Management, Inc., have entered into a strategic partnership to distribute the leading custom oral appliance for treating sleep apnea to dental professionals through Patterson Dental.

Through Patterson Dental and Airway Management, a world leader in the design, manufacture and sales of custom oral appliances with its Thornton Adjustable Positioner (TAP® 3 appliance), dentists have a proven treatment modality for patients suffering from snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). The TAP® fits over the teeth similar to a mouth guard and advances the jaw forward during sleep, keeping the airway open and eliminating snoring and sleep apnea.

"We are excited about this partnership and the opportunity to provide dental professionals with a clinically proven, highly regarded product for treating a common problem," said Mike Smurr, Patterson Dental's director of marketing, merchandise.

Airway Management will maintain its long-standing agreements with its licensed dental laboratories that fabricate TAP® devices. These dental laboratories have made inroads over the years and will continue to service their customer bases.

Replacement Parts Industries, Inc. (RPI) has expanded its current building space to occupy an additional 7,500 square feet, bringing the company's total space to more than 20,000 square feet. The new space provides for significant added room for its customer service, warehouse, and product engineering departments, as well as more than doubling its laboratory and testing facilities.

This additional space also allows the company the ability to provide on-site educational training for customers.

According to Ira Lapides, the president and chief executive officer of RPI, "The additional space will also provide room for significant future expansion of our product line, and the hiring of additional staff in all areas of the business."

Straumann and Cadent Inc., have signed a non-exclusive distribution agreement in North America. Straumann began marketing Cadent's iTero Digital Impression System in February.

The new agreement follows a series of activities to advance Straumann's position in digital dentistry and to increase Cadent's penetration into the dental implant and laboratory markets in the United States. A year ago, Straumann entered into an agreement with Cadent to integrate the iTero scan data with Straumann's CAD/CAM system. This allows dental labs to receive digital impressions and design dental restorations without having to create a stone model. Straumann recently announced new functionality to allow iTero customers to take implant-level impressions with the Straumann Intra-Oral Scan Body and digitally send them to the Straumann CARES Scan CS2 (CAD/CAM system).

Straumann is also the exclusive distributor of the iTero system in Europe.

The city of South Jordan, Utah, recently presented Ultradent founder and chief executive officer Dr. Dan E. Fischer with its Corporate Citizen Award. The award recognizes Dr. Fischer's and Ultradent's numerous contributions to the city of South Jordan and to improving global oral health.

"Dr. Fischer has worked tirelessly at creating and innovating products designed to improve oral health throughout the globe. His personal philanthropy and the philanthropy of Ultradent have improved lives throughout the world. Dr. Fischer is a community partner who values and supports the same ideals that our community embraces, and whose actions and life are worthy of this recognition," South Jordan Mayor W. Kent Money said.

Water Street Healthcare Partners has acquired OraPharma, Inc. from Johnson & Johnson. Water Street, a strategic private equity firm focused exclusively on health care, plans to build OraPharma into a leading specialty pharmaceutical company focused on dental and oral health care.

Water Street has recruited Janet Vergis, an executive with more than 20 years of pharmaceutical experience, to serve as chief executive officer of OraPharma. Through February 2009, Vergis served as president of Janssen Pharmaceutica — which included responsibility for the McNeil Pediatrics and Ortho-McNeil Neurologics businesses — a member of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies.

OraPharma is the latest in a series of acquisitions that Water Street has completed with global health care companies. Nearly half of Water Street's investments are business divisions it has acquired from global leaders including Gentiva Health Services, Inc., Medtronic, Inc., and Smith & Nephew.

Alpha Omega's Lifetime Achievement Medal was first given in 1935, and past recipients include Dr. Albert Einstein and Dr. Jonas Salk. Steve Kess, Henry Schein's vice president for global professional relations, has served as a member of the Alpha Omega Board of Directors for the past five years.

Additionally, Esperanza International, in conjunction with the Crown Council's Smiles for Life Foundation, presented Bergman with its Award of Gratitude for the support the company has provided to their humanitarian relief efforts in the Dominican Republic.

Through Henry Schein Cares, the company's global corporate social responsibility program, Henry Schein, has provided products and equipment over four consecutive years to support Esperanza International in its efforts to provide crucial dental screenings, cleanings, restorative work, and surgeries to underserved children in the Dominican Republic.

Nobel Biocare has announced that Bill Ryan, after successfully transforming the North American organization, will revert back to his original role as an advisor to the chief executive officer. In addition, he will become non-executive chairman, North America. In these roles Ryan will, with his more than 25 years of experience in implant dentistry, continue to support the company.

Melker Nilsson will succeed Bill Ryan as president and general manager, North America, and as a member of Nobel Biocare's Executive Committee (EC). At present, Nilsson is chief operating officer, North America. He has more than 18 years of experience in implant dentistry and with NobelProcera, which he gained through various management assignments at Nobel Biocare in Europe and North America from 1992 through 2005. He rejoined Nobel Biocare in his current position in January 2010.

The company also announced the appointment of Mike Thompson as senior vice president and general manager, Asia/Pacific. He joins Nobel Biocare from Pfizer, where he held various management positions in sales, marketing and human resources in the U.S., China, and Japan.

In addition, Richard Laube has been appointed as the new chief executive officer by the board of directors of Nobel Biocare. He will join the company on April 1 and assume his duties as CEO on May 1.

Laube brings with him considerable international experience including, most recently, as CEO of Nestlé's Nutrition division, he more than doubled the business through acquisitions and organic growth.

"Because we care" is a phrase that is part of the Midmark Corporation's trademark, and it represents a philosophy to which the company is strongly committed. With its recent gift of $400,000 to the College of Dentistry for much-needed clinic renovations, the Ohio-based company showed that it cares about the college and Ohio State, and that it's determined to make a difference.

Headquartered in Versailles, Ohio, the Midmark Corporation is led by chief executive officer Dr. Anne Eiting Klamar, who is an alumnus of Ohio State's College of Medicine and a firm believer in the Buckeye tradition of giving back.

The grand opening of the renovated clinic, which is now called the "Midmark Emergency Care Clinic," was celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Attendees included Dr. Klamar (pictured, right), Midmark's Vice President Eric Shirley (pictured, left), Chief Operating Officer Greg Blackmore, and sales representative Matt Buettner, as well as College of Dentistry Dean Carole Anderson (pictured, center), and Dr. John Nusstein, Chair of the Division of Endodontics and director of the emergency dental clinic.

Commenting on the recent gift that provided extensive renovations for dentistry's emergency dental clinic, Dr. Klamar said, "The reason for this gift is certainly because we care about Ohio State and the College of Dentistry, but it's also something we wanted to do because we're committed to improving health care, and we're passionate about education."

With Midmark's gift, the college's emergency dental clinic has been transformed from a functional facility in need of updates to one that offers state-of-the-art urgent dental care.

Several dental companies have recently announced donations in support of National Children's Oral Health Foundation: America's Toothfairy.

Patterson Dental continues its ongoing commitment by donating more than $30,000 in dental products to two NCOHF Affiliate oral health programs. University of Arizona, A.T. Still School of Dentistry, and University of California San Francisco School of Dentistry received a generous donation of composite materials that will aid in delivery of vital services to the at-risk children served in their clinics. Both schools operate comprehensive clinical programs providing preventive, educational and restorative oral health care to local underserved populations.

Sirona Dental Systems, Inc. donated equipment valued at over $725,000 to enhance community-based programs for underserved children. Twelve nonprofit oral health partners in the NCOHF Affiliate network benefited from the Sirona contribution of four Heliodent DS Intraoral X-ray units, eight CEREC 3 Acquisition Units, and eight CEREC 3 Milling Chambers.

Cosmedent, Inc., made a product donation valued at $35,991.55 to benefit pediatric oral healthcare facilities. Thirteen NCOHF Affiliates received a generous supply of Renamel Nano and Kwik Addition Silicone Impression Tray Adhesive to help meet the growing need for comprehensive care among underserved children in their local communities.

A-dec has made a generous equipment donation to three oral health programs. University of Florida College of Dentistry, University of Indiana School of Dentistry, and Arizona Public Health Association received new operatory equipment for their dental clinics offering vital local pediatric oral health services.

Denbur, Inc. has donated Multi-Brush Disposable bristle applicators valued at $51,559.14. Twenty-one NCOHF Affiliate community-based nonprofit partners received donated Denbur products that will aid in providing critical care to children in need.

Benco Dental is opening a distribution facility at the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center in Storey County.

The company will employ 15 at its 100,000 square foot facility at 625 Waltham Way when it opens at the end of May 2011, including a distribution manager, material handlers, a sales representative, and a service technician.

Benco Dental's facility at the Tahoe-Reno Industrial Center is the company's fifth distribution center in the United States and will serve the company's west coast customers. Benco Dental's other distribution centers are located in Dallas, Fort Wayne, Ind., Jacksonville, Fla., and at the company's headquarters in Pittston, Pa.

"We considered other states, including California and Utah, but found the business climate in Nevada friendlier and more accommodating," said Lou Mangino, vice president of operations for Benco Dental. "Reno's proximity to the 11 western states and our ability to reach 65 percent of our customers within one day was a selling point, as was the region's workforce, which we've found to be excellent."

Orabrush has closed a $2.5 million investment round with True Ventures of Palo Alto and returning investor 2x Consumer Products Growth Partners of Chicago. Funds will be used to help further accelerate the company's retail growth by maximizing its online brand and expanding its retail partnerships and distribution channels throughout the world.

"This financing, made by savvy investment veterans with strong industry credibility, validates Orabrush's platform as a rising consumer products player as well as a transformative social media company," said Jeff Davis, president and chief executive officer of Orabrush. "This extremely smart money not only provides us the means to scale our online success with retailers globally; it also enables us to access and leverage the networks of both True Ventures and 2x Consumer Products Growth Partners to scale our capabilities far beyond that of a small startup company."

Crosstex International, a subsidiary of Cantel Medical Corp., has purchased the sterilization monitoring business of Colorado-based ConFirm Monitoring Systems, Inc.

Crosstex's flagship Sure-Check® sterilization pouches are dubbed by Crosstex to be the first of their kind to have patent-pending Class 4 internal/external multi-variable indicators that validate all 3 criteria for instrument sterilization (time, temperature and steam), as per ISO standards and CDC guidelines.

For more than 10 years, ConFirm has been a leading provider of biological monitoring services for sterilization equipment in North America, conducting more than 2 million tests annually. The company offers both a mail-in service and in-office spore test kits for healthcare professionals to verify the performance of their sterilizers in accordance with industry guidelines for daily or weekly testing.

"This represents a marriage of two best-of-breed technologies and two market leaders," said Andrew Whitehead, Crosstex senior vice president of sales and marketing. "Sure-Check pouches provide the most advanced chemical monitoring to confirm each sterilization cycle. When combined with ConFirm's biological monitoring for daily or weekly testing of the sterilizer, healthcare professionals will have the ultimate in sterilization assurance for their practice."

Oral Health America (OHA) is the recipient of a three-year, $500,000 commitment from Ivoclar Vivadent, including a $100,000 cash contribution in 2010, continuing financial support in 2011 and 2012, and a significant donation of Fluor Protector® fluoride varnish and Helioseal® sealant. In addition, Ivoclar Vivadent and OHA will launch a matching gift program for OHA's Seal Two Million campaign, which doubles the impact of gifts made by dental professionals to the organization.

"Oral Health America is truly honored by Ivoclar Vivadent's three-year commitment, which signifies a ‘down payment' on our programs," said Beth Truett, president and chief executive officer, Oral Health America. "We, in turn, commit to maximizing the impact of this wonderful gift by addressing the complex needs of vulnerable people and identifying the best ways for our programs to bring healthy mouths to life for at-risk children, families and older adults."

After reaching a goal to seal one million teeth by 2010, OHA launched the Seal Two Million campaign, which promises to seal at least two million more teeth by 2020. Through this contribution, Ivoclar Vivadent is OHA's first Guardian Level Sponsor for the campaign. OHA is meeting its promise to seal two million teeth through its Smiles Across America® program, which provides grant funding, technical assistance and over 500,000 units of donated dental product each year to a growing list of 109 non-profit dental care providers in 27 states. With help from leading dental companies such as Ivoclar Vivadent OHA intends to expand its outreach to all 50 states by 2014.

"We are very proud to be part of this initiative and the OHA family," said Robert Ganley, chief executive officer of Ivoclar Vivadent. "They do a wonderful job educating and serving those needing dental care. I truly believe that we as a profession need to stand up and take action … it's our responsibility to help those in need of dental services."

3Shape has announced a global strategic alliance with Astra Tech. The first step is the development of a software interface enabling the 3Shape dental scanners to communicate with the Atlantis VAD™ (Virtual Abutment Design) software used for the design and production of patient-specific implant abutments. When developed, the interface will make it possible for 3Shape scanner users to quickly and easily transfer digital scan information of patient oral geometry to the Astra Tech Atlantis™ design and manufacturing facilities worldwide. This connectivity reduces costs, eliminates shipping of physical models, and reduces turnaround time.

"The partnership with 3Shape is a strategic business opportunity, which will further strengthen Astra Tech's position within the area of digital implant dentistry, contribute to a faster market penetration for Atlantis™, and create added value for our customers and their patients, says Peter Selley, chief executive officer of Sweden-based Astra Tech Group.

"3Shape strives to offer maximum flexibility to its reselling partners and their dental lab customers using 3Shape scanner and software solutions," says Flemming Thorup, president and chief executive officer at 3Shape. "We are very happy that this collaboration between AstraTech and 3Shape will make it possible for many laboratories to benefit from the strength of our respective companies."

Vident, a VITA Company, recently announced an exclusive distribution agreement with Patterson Dental for the sale of the popular VITA Easyshade Compact to dentists in North America. With the addition of the VITA Easyshade Compact, Patterson will now support the complete, top-selling line of VITA shade management tools, including VITA Classical Shade Guide, VITA 3D-Master Shade Guide, VITA Bleachedguide 3D-Master, and VITA Linearguide 3D-Master.

This new exclusive agreement is designed to provide Vident customers with convenient, direct ordering and enhanced customer service. To become VITA Shade Proficiency Experts, Patterson sales representatives are participating in a full curriculum of shade proficiency courses. The ongoing education will enable the sales reps to provide effective consultation with dental clients on issues of esthetic outcomes, lab communication and practice growth.