Industry news from the editorial staff at Proofs magazine, a PennWell publication
Caulk Supports Medical Outreach Program
Dentsply Caulk recently partnered with Kathryn Tscheigg, founder of the Central American Medical Outreach Program (CAMO), to provide outreach dental support to Honduras. CAMO has five passenger mobile units that the dentist uses in the villages on a weekly basis. This allows the dentist to educate as well as treat patients in rural areas. More than 3,000 patients are treated annually through this program.
The International Sales & Marketing Department for Dentsply Caulk has coordinated the effort in which more than $37,500 worth of consumable products were donated by the company.
For more information about CAMO please visit their Web site www.camo.org.
DenTek Establishes Professional Oral Care Division
DenTek, a manufacturer of many consumer oral health products for more than 20 years, recently announced that it is establishing a Professional Oral Care Division.
“Our goal is to move toward a community concept with dental professionals, and customer relationship marketing,” said Pam Runge, RDH, vice president of professional marketing.
The company produces dental picks, dental repair products, floss picks, tongue cleaners, and other oral hygiene products. DenTek reported $80 million in retail sales in 2006.
Following its consumer mission of “Oral Care for Life,” DenTek also provides hygienists with resources addressing the entire life cycle of patients. Free patient education brochures are geared specifically for the needs of children, teens, adults, and seniors. Runge said the company hopes age-specific DenTek products and materials will help hygienists attain compliance throughout the lifetime of patients.
Pam Runge, RDH, oversees development of professional division for DenTek.
DenTek was founded in Petaluma, CA in 1982 by John Jansheski. The company began with just one product, the Dental Pik, which was invented by Jansheski’s father, a dentist. Jansheski, DenTek’s CEO, oversaw the relocation of the company to Maryville, Tenn., in 2001.
For more information, visit www.dentekprofessional.com.
Shade Matching Assets Acquired
Vita, Vident, and JJL Technologies LLC (“JJL Technologies”) announced Aug. 13 that Vita and Vident acquired substantially all of JJL Technologies’ dental business, which includes certain assets and rights to intellectual property developed by JJL Technologies related to dental shade matching and color measurement of teeth and dental materials.
JJL Technologies, founded by Wayne Jung, Dr. Russell Jung, and Alan Loudermilk, is a developer of color measurement/shade matching instruments and technologies and is the original developer of the product that was successfully introduced to the market by Vita and Vident as the Vita Easyshade system.
Russell Jung, DDS, and COO of JJL Technologies, said, “We are delighted to announce this agreement, which followed years of collaboration that resulted in the Vita Easyshade system becoming the worldwide market leader for dental shade matching and color measurement.”
Details about the transaction have not been disclosed.
CareCredit VP Appointed To ADA Advisory Board
Cindy C. Hearn, CareCredit’s vice president of marketing, will serve on the ADA Give Kids A Smile® advisory board.
As a member of the ADA advisory board, Hearn will provide strategic guidance to develop initiatives that will lead the program’s expansion. Currently, ADA Give Kids A Smile is the nation’s largest charitable oral health program, delivering care to more than half a million children every year through 16,000 dentists and an additional 30,000 volunteers.
“Cindy Hearn will bring to the advisory board exceptional experience, with over 25 years of leading strategic thinking and marketing for CareCredit, Taco Bell, Sprint, and other exceptional national brands,” explained Steve Kess, chairman of Give Kids A Smile advisory board. “We look forward to hearing her thoughts and ideas and know she will make a valuable contribution to the board.”
Hearn said, “Being asked to serve on the Give Kids A Smile advisory board is truly an honor. It brings together two things I am very passionate about - children and dentistry. Achieving oral health is often all about having access to care. It is amazing how the ADA and dental community have come together to provide access to children across the country who otherwise might not experience the benefit of quality dentistry.”
Earlier this year, CareCredit became a Founding Donor to the newly established Give Kids A Smile Fund that will support expansion of the program to a year-round access to care initiative.
Financial Group Acquires Diversified Dental Services
The Principal Financial Group, a provider of employee and voluntary benefits, acquired Diversified Dental Services, Inc., a Nevada-based independent dental preferred provider organization (PPO). The transaction was announced on Sept. 4 and was expected to close on Oct. 1.
“The acquisition of Diversified Dental Services furthers our national dental network strategy of offering more providers and better pricing for members and business partners,” said Deanna Strable, a senior vice president with The Principal. “Diversified Dental Services brings a proven track record of building and growing regional networks. We look forward to using their experience to continue expanding our own network coverage.”
Diversified Dental Services contracts with more than 1,500 dentists in Nevada and parts of Utah, California, Arizona, Mississippi, and Tennessee to offer discounts to PPO members who obtain dental care from a network dentist. The dental PPO will continue to be available through employers, insurance companies and associations, often combined with a dental benefits plan. The Principal currently operates a national dental network with more than 76,000 providers across 37 states, plus the District of Columbia.
