Head to head with the Dentsply Sirona CEO

Julian English talks to Don Casey, Dentsply Sirona CEO, about his strategy for the next two years and how it will impact UK dentists

There is a new strategy for the Dentsply Sirona group. Don Casey Jr has been at Dentsply Sirona for 12 months and sees three important areas for growth: salesforce effectiveness, innovation and, of course, further developing its world-class training facilities.

Growth

‘It is our aim to lead the company to sustainable growth,’ said Don. He believes that growth is a function of focusing on bigger innovations. ‘This involves focusing on growth in the countries and regions experiencing a rapid economic development.

‘A core element of our strategy are great relationships with key opinion leaders (KOLs) and getting their feedback on how we can improve procedures within the dental practice as well as products and materials. They play a crucial role in helping us better understand and deliver workflow benefits. With the input of KOLs we can develop products that meet the needs of dental professionals and it is our obligation to educate dental professionals on how to use them. Our profound conviction is that clinical education makes the difference in the relationship to our customers.

‘To build on an already strong clinical education outreach, the company continues to invest in new Dentsply Sirona Academy facilities around the world that further enable the hosting and training of experts and guests. Together with the dental academy in Bensheim and more than a dozen satellite facilities around the world, Dentsply Sirona reaches more than 25,000 practitioners a year.

‘In our UK headquarters in Weybridge we opened our new showroom and training academy in 2017. For the upcoming year, we are planning 75 events there as part of our national CE programme.’

Single tooth replacement solution

Azento, a single tooth replacement solution that Dentsply Sirona recently introduced to the market, is highly customised to the needs and timeframe of dentists and patients, which revolutionises the digital implant workflow by streamlining implant planning service, purchasing and delivery. Dentists will receive a precise, customised digital treatment plan based on each patient’s digital scans, with imaging systems such as the Orthophos SL and intraoral scanners like the Cerec Omnicam, submitted through a case management portal.

Azento includes all components and instruments necessary to complete an implant treatment, including a surgical guide, implant and custom healing abutment, delivered within five business days of approving the treatment plan. This eliminates the effort of coordinating purchases with multiple suppliers and monitoring inventory in the surgery. Azento will be available in the UK in 2019.

New products

Software updates: five clicks to a restoration in just one visit

The five-click concept of the Cerec SW 4.6 enables users to produce a crown with just five clicks. ‘I joke with the software developers saying the software has to be simple enough for even me to use’. A result from this challenge is that clinicians can now mill a restoration from only five clicks by the user.

In the field of imaging systems, the Sidexis 4 software and the Orthophos SL X-ray unit software have been updated. Dental practices and hospitals now benefit from added functions and even better 3D image quality.

‘We continue to drive innovation with our vision of advancing dental care. We spend over 150 million US dollars each year in R&D investments. And, of course, innovation is still one of our most important areas of investment. Our efforts also go beyond internal development and include acquisitions. Last year, we bought the company Orametrix, a leading industry provider of innovative 3D technology solutions improving the quality and efficiency of orthodontic care.’

Orametrix offers an advanced, CAD platform developed for dental professionals to deliver consistently predictable orthodontic outcomes. The acquisition will enable Dentsply Sirona to provide a comprehensive orthodontic offering that will include a full arch clear aligner solution. Don said: ‘The acquisition confirmed our commitment to invest in differentiated technologies to drive innovation in the dental industry while strengthening our position in the marketplace and leveraging our global footprint.’

Summary

Dentsply Sirona focuses on understanding tomorrow’s dentistry and will do this through learning about workflows and dental treatments through key opinion leaders.

Dentsply Sirona will be focusing on growth, more efficient R&D and then education to its customers. The company is currently building and transforming its premises to deliver education and training.

Don Casey is a dynamic and energetic CEO with a passion and will grow the company for the benefit of the dental profession as a whole.

He concluded by saying: ‘We are still at the beginning of what’s possible. We will further advance dentistry and push technology and possibilities in the interest of patients to the next level.’


Don Casey Jr has more than 30 years of global healthcare experience and an outstanding track record in identifying and commercialising medical innovations.

He most recently served as chief executive officer of the medical segment of Cardinal Health, a leading manufacturer and provider of medical products and supply chain services to hospitals, laboratories, physician offices, surgery centres and other sites of care across the healthcare continuum.

When Don Casey was the CEO of the medical segment, he repositioned the segment and delivered consistent revenue and operating income growth, meaningful margin expansion and helped position the segment for sustainable growth going forward.

Previously, Mr Casey served as worldwide chairman for Johnson & Johnson’s comprehensive care group and a member of the company’s executive committee, where he oversaw its cardiovascular, diagnostic, diabetes and vision care franchises around the world.

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