Cyber Attack on American Dental Association - An Important Message from the ADA

 This is the latest on the ADA hack.  The American Dental Association was hacked on Friday April 22, 2022.  The information below was sent out to membership Monday evening April 25th.  Obviously this simply highlights how vulnerable we all are to potentially falling victim to cybercrime.

Stay tuned for further details...

The ADA recently fell victim to a cybersecurity incident that has resulted in technical difficulties impacting certain systems. We are working around the clock to restore our systems and limit the disruption this incident causes you.

During this time, we are committed to keeping you informed. Here is an update on the current situation.

• On Friday, the ADA fell victim to a cybersecurity incident that caused a disruption to certain systems, including Aptify and ADA email, telephone and Web chat. Upon discovery, the ADA immediately responded by taking affected systems offline and commenced an investigation into the nature and scope of the disruption.
 
• Safeguarding employee and member information and data is the ADA’s utmost priority. We are working diligently with third-party cybersecurity specialists to investigate the impact on ADA systems and restore full system functionality. At this time, there is no indication any member information or other data has been compromised, however our investigation is still underway.
 
• Federal law enforcement has been notified and we are cooperating with them in this active investigation, so we ask for your understanding that we must limit the amount of detail that we can share at this time. 

Protecting the privacy of our members and employees and ensuring the security of information stored on our systems are among our highest priorities. We have an active and vigorous investigation into the nature and scope of the technical difficulties. If we determine personal information was impacted as a result of this incident, we will notify affected parties pursuant to applicable law. 

We understand you may have questions. The ADA is committed to providing accurate information regarding this incident and our response. 

Compex HD Composite Warming Gun is a Winner

 

As many of you know, I am a huge fan of warming composite.  When I first started out with using warm composite, the only choice anyone had was to use AC powered warming bases from AdDent.  The Calset, as it is called, is still available, still works well, and is still *Highly Recommended*!  The device is in the picture below:

As you can see, it comes in several models and can be used for a variety of applications.  I still have them and use them.  That in itself is a testament to how well they are made.  The devices I have are probably 10 years old and still work great.

The only drawback to counter top heaters is that you have to remove the composite from the heaters in order to use it for a restoration.  If only there was a way to take your cartridges out of the heater and keep them warm all the way to the preparation.  Wait!  There IS A WAY!  And that way is called the Compex HD manufactured by, you guessed it, AdDent.

The Compex HD is a composite dispensing gun that actually *heats* the composite cartridge.  Even if you don't have the Calset, you can still get the benefits of heated composite.  The Compex HD is a battery operated device that warms the composite in about one minute.  It keeps the composite warm for as long as it is on & allows the operator to actually inject warm composite of 155°F (68°C) directly into the preparation.

The device is efficient, easy to use, and makes composite placement a breeze.  Besides heating the material, the device also has a genius "ejector mechanism" that allows the user to "pop" out a cartridge and insert another one with minimal effort and quickly as well.

The device has a powerful lithium ion battery that will heat 100 cartridges before needing to be recharged.  We are charging it at the end of our workweek and it is ready to go every Monday morning.

It will heat any cartridge on the market today in as little as 60 seconds.

I've been testing the device in my clinic since February.  What I've determined is the best way to use it is to press the ON button as I am putting my final bevels on my preparation.  That way, by the time I have placed etch and bonding agent, or the matrix, the Compex HD has got the composite to 155°F and is ready to go.

I am still using the Calset warmers and place the warmed cartridges directly into the Compex HD.  My thoughts are that it doesn't hurt to have it pre-warmed.

In the time I've been testing, the device has performed incredibly well and has delivered *exactly* as advertised and expected.  If you have not used warmed composite before, I guarantee that you will be stunned and impressed with the experience.  The warm material is easier to dispense, easier to place, and easier to sculpt.  There is also myriad scientific articles that show benefits to using warm composite.  You aren't only making your restorations more efficient to place, you are also improving your clinical outcomes.

If you'd like even more info on the Compex HD you can follow this link.  I have been very impressed with the device and it is *highly recommended*!

quip Acquires Teledentistry Company Toothpic

I found this press release interesting.  quip makes and sells an affordable powered toothbrush and an entire line of oral health products such as floss, toothpicks,  mouthwash, etc.  The brush is priced much lower than others and is powered by a AAA battery.  This is an interesting acquisition and I think plays well into a consumer based/focused company like quip.

quip, the modern oral health company with more than 8.5 million users, today announced that it has acquired Toothpic, a leading telehealth company offering teledental services and care to more than 36 million Americans through partnerships with premier dental insurers. The acquisition is part of quip's strategy to improve people's oral health by providing a first-of-its-kind, digital oral care companion that seamlessly manages a 360-degree suite of personal and professional oral care products and services, while guiding and incentivizing good oral health habits.

Access to quality dental care continues to be a challenge that persists within the United States. Teledentistry services can help increase access to quality care in both rural and urban communities, remove barriers to oral health care disparities, and ultimately support better oral health outcomes by taking a more preventative approach to professional care through more regular at-home virtual checkups.   

"By embedding Toothpic's teledentistry platform and nationwide network of online dental professionals into our app, we will centralize access to a full suite of connected oral care products and dental services that will drastically alter the way people experience and manage their oral health," said Simon Enever, Co-Founder and CEO of quip. "We are excited to welcome the extremely talented Toothpic team to the quip community to help us continue building this much needed platform for patients and providers."

quip's goal is to help people build and maintain good, long-lasting preventative oral care habits, which goes well beyond just the products they use. By adding virtual, on-demand access to dental professionals, quip has built a singular digital platform where users can track daily oral care habits, monitor oral health changes over time, schedule regular virtual visits to prevent or identify issues early on and book in-person, local dental appointments when required, all from the comfort of their own home.

Once fully integrated, current quip and Toothpic users and partners will have access to a free oral care companion app that guides and rewards good oral health habits such as brushing and having a dental checkup, and helps manage the following comprehensive suite of oral care products and services:

• Personal & Professional Care Products including adult and kids electric toothbrushes. refillable floss pick and string, refillable mouthwash, gum, and their recently launched professional clear aligner service. quip also offers smart brushes that allow the user to automatically track how they are brushing in the app.

• Digital Oral Health Monitoring to further support preventative care between in-person dental visits. Through asynchronous virtual dental professional screenings that analyze photos of users' mouths, users will be able to track their mouth health over time through in-depth reports that can be delivered in as little as 6 hours, as well as product, prescription and treatment recommendations.

• Direct Connection to Local Dental Professionals & Immediate Care through a digital directory and instant booking. Users will be able to find and book in-person dental services from providers in their area or schedule live video consultations with a dentist for an immediate diagnosis and advice.

"We have made incredible strides in making oral health care accessible to individuals and businesses around the country through our web and mobile applications," said Shane Owens, CTO and Co-Founder of Toothpic. "We share a vision for shifting dentistry from a fee-for-service model to a preventative- focused, value-based care one. We can't imagine a better partner than quip as we seek to further our mission to provide innovative oral care solutions that not only improve the lives of patients, but also improve and modernize the delivery of care to our provider networks and lower the cost of care to our partners."

Through the acquisition, the combined platform will connect millions of patients with dentists nationwide through the integration of Toothpic's ecosystem and their partnerships with benefit providers such as Delta Dental of California and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts as well as quip's recently announced partnership with UnitedHealthcare Dental.

For the latest from quip, follow @quip on Instagram or visit getquip.com.

Dentsply Sirona Terminates CEO & Appoints Interim CEO

Interesting news out of Dentsply Sirona.  No word yet on the "why" behind this move.  I will update if/when I find out more... 

-Dentsply Sirona (“Dentsply Sirona” or “the Company”) (Nasdaq: XRAY) today announced the appointment of John Groetelaars, who serves on Dentsply Sirona’s Board of Directors, as Interim Chief Executive Officer. He succeeds Don Casey, who has been terminated as CEO and will cease to serve as a member of the Company’s Board, effective immediately. The Board has initiated a search to identify the Company’s next CEO and has retained a leading executive search firm to support the process.

Eric Brandt, Non-Executive Chairman of the Board stated, “We are pleased to welcome John as Dentsply Sirona’s Interim CEO. John has a strong track record of driving innovative business strategies, and as a seasoned executive with more than 30 years of industry experience, he is uniquely positioned to lead our company during this transition period. John is the right leader to bring continuity and guide Dentsply Sirona’s execution of its key strategic initiatives to create sustainable value for our shareholders. As the Board conducts its search for a permanent CEO, we are focused on finding a candidate with a track record of world-class execution and operational expertise who can position the Company for the future.”

Mr. Groetelaars commented, “I look forward to serving as Interim CEO during this important time for the Company. I joined the Company’s Board because of my deep appreciation for our mission and unwavering commitment to innovation, operational excellence and providing positive outcomes for patients and customers. Dentsply Sirona is situated in attractive, growing dental categories and has a strong foundation in place, built on its portfolio of leading products and differentiated position across key markets. The Board is confident that renewing the Company’s focus on execution will stabilize the business and deliver strong performance despite ongoing macroeconomic challenges. This will be my focus from day one, and I am prepared to leverage my prior executive leadership experience as I work with the rest of the Board and management team to drive the Company’s strategy and advance its vision to transform dentistry and improve oral health globally.”

Mr. Brandt continued, “On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank Don for his many contributions to our company. Don has played a key role in strengthening our foundation and advancing our mission to create innovative solutions for healthy smiles. We wish him all the best in his future endeavors.”

Appointment of Interim CFO

Dentsply Sirona also today announced the appointment of Barbara Bodem as Interim Chief Financial Officer, effective upon Jorge Gomez’s previously announced departure on May 6, 2022. Ms. Bodem will join the Company on April 25, 2022, and work closely with Mr. Gomez to ensure a seamless transition.

Ms. Bodem is an accomplished executive with over two decades of financial leadership experience in the healthcare industry, most recently serving as Senior Vice President and CFO of Hillrom. Previously, Barbara served in senior leadership roles at Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Hospira and Eli Lilly and Company.

Mr. Brandt said, “We are fortunate to welcome Barbara, a proven finance executive, as our interim CFO during this transition period. Barbara brings extensive expertise in healthcare with an international perspective, having served in multiple leadership roles across finance organizations at global companies. As we continue our search for a permanent CFO, we believe that Barbara and our talented financial team will continue to deliver value for our patients, business partners and shareholders.”

Select Preliminary Financial Results for the First Quarter of 2022

Dentsply Sirona today also provided an update on its anticipated financial results for the first quarter ending March 31, 2022.

On a preliminary basis, the Company expects that net sales will be approximately $965 million (representing an organic sales decline of approximately 1.4% versus prior year). Additionally, GAAP diluted earnings per share will be in the range of $0.26 - $0.30 and adjusted earnings per share will be in the range of $0.48 - $0.52. Relative to last year, these results reflect weaker sales performance in the U.S., global supply chain challenges, and foreign exchange headwinds. 

The Company will provide further information on its results and 2022 outlook when it releases its earnings as scheduled on May 5, 2022.

The amounts set forth above are preliminary estimates. The Company is in the process of finalizing its results of operations for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022 and therefore final results are not yet available. These preliminary estimates are based solely upon information available to management as of the date of this press release. The Company’s actual results may differ from these estimates due to the completion of its quarter-end closing procedures, final adjustments and developments that may arise or information that may become available between now and the time the Company’s financial results for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022 are finalized. The Company’s unaudited consolidated financial statements for the first quarter ended March 31, 2022 should be consulted once they become available.

About John Groetelaars

John Groetelaars served as President, CEO and a Board member at Hillrom from May 2018 until the company’s acquisition by Baxter International, Inc., in December 2021. At Hillrom, Mr. Groetelaars led a transformation of the business, successfully articulating and launching a new connected-care strategy and vision, growing the portfolio through seven acquisitions and one divestiture, and driving record financial performance. Prior to Hillrom, Mr. Groetelaars served as Executive Vice President and President of the Interventional Segment at Becton, Dickinson and Company following its acquisition of C.R. Bard Inc. He previously served in a variety of progressive roles at C.R. Bard during his 10-year career there, including as a group president from 2015 to 2017. Prior to joining C.R. Bard, Mr. Groetelaars held various international leadership positions in Canada, Denmark and the United Kingdom at Boston Scientific Corporation from 2001 until 2008. Prior to joining Boston Scientific, Mr. Groetelaars held positions in general management, marketing, business development and sales with Guidant Corporation and with Eli Lilly.

Mr. Groetelaars earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Kettering University and an MBA from Columbia Business School.

About Barbara Bodem

Barbara Bodem most recently served as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer for Hillrom, where she was responsible for both Financial and Information Technology and oversaw portfolio transformation and performance acceleration. She also served as Interim CIO during the pandemic. Prior to her positions at Hillrom, Ms. Bodem served as Senior Vice President of Finance for Mallinckrodt Pharmaceuticals, Vice President of Finance, Global Commercial Operations for Hospira, and at several positions of increasing responsibility at Eli Lilly and Company, culminating in Chief Financial Officer, Lilly Oncology. Ms. Bodem also has extensive Board experience, and currently serves as Audit Committee Chair for Turning Point Therapeutics, as a Director on Syneos’ Board, and as a Director on Enovis Corporation’s Board. She has also previously served as a board member for Invacare Corporation.

Ms. Bodem earned and a Bachelor of Science in Finance with honors and minors in Economics and East Asian Studies, as well as an MBA from Indiana University.

Solmetex Acquires DryShield

 

As I've said before, one of the most difficult things to do when you are performing any type of adhesive dentistry is to control the field.  That's why products like DryShield are so valuable.  They allow the operator and assistant to have complete control of the operative field.  We use a fair number of DryShiled products in our practice.  Here's some news related to the company...

Solmetex, LLC, the dental industry's leading provider of amalgam separators and other waste compliance products, today announced that it has closed the acquisition of DryShield®, a dental innovator of in-treatment patient isolation products, combining high suction evacuation, bite block, tongue shield and oral pathway protector into one technology. DryShield enables dental practices to treat patients more efficiently, while bringing a new level of comfort to patients in procedure. With Solmetex's recently announced acquisition of Sterisil, a leading innovator of dental unit water line infection control products, the combined company will result in a diversified business and category leader in  dental water treatment and patient safety management for the U.S. and global dental markets. This includes a commitment to strengthen and expand partnerships based on assisting both individual dental practices and Dental Service Organizations in managing highly efficient businesses with patient safety at the forefront.

DryShield brings a history of innovation in the development of dental technologies designed to bring unmatched levels of ease, comfort and safety to dentists and their patients and, as part of the Solmetex offering, will expand its continued focus on developing and implementing treatment focused technologies.

Gene Dorff, Solmetex Chief Executive Officer, stated, "This is a transformational time for Solmetex and the addition of DryShield to our platform will ensure growth and expansion into other technology areas where we believe Solmetex will be successful. We will continue to deliver excellent customer service, and high-quality, reliable products to all of our business partners and the patient populations they serve. I look forward to the opportunity to collaborate with the team to execute our future growth plans."

Dr. Lan Nguyen, DryShield founder, added, "We have worked diligently to stay close to our community of dentists when developing DryShield. We believe Solmetex is perfectly positioned to expand adoption and usage of this treatment changing technology, with the leadership, organization, and resources to help us achieve our next phase of growth."     

Thien Nguyen, DryShield co-founder/CEO, offered, "We are excited to work with the Solmetex team to accelerate and scale DryShield across the dental industry markets both domestically and internationally.  Solmetex brings a world-class organization and complementary set of capabilities, including commercial and financial resources to take DryShield to the next level."

Solmetex is a portfolio company of Avista Capital Partners ("Avista"), which together with other shareholders, is providing equity capital, operational oversight, and strategic counsel to help ensure the success of the newly combined company.

Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

ABOUT SOLMETEX, LLC

Solmetex provides waste management services through a series of specialized processes and systems that cost-effectively remove mercury from the waste stream and offers additional dental waste solutions. The company's NXT Hg5™ Series of Amalgam Separators and recycling program, which treat dental wastewater, is highly regarded as the best solution for regulatory compliance. Solmetex is widely recognized as the single trusted source for comprehensive environmental solutions for the dental waste needs. For further information, visit www.solmetex.com.

ABOUT DRYSHIELD

The flagship DryShield solution is a patented autoclavable isolation system that combines all the tasks of a high-suction evacuator, bite block, dry angles, cotton rolls, and gauze in one sleek device. This intelligent breakthrough in isolation was the result of years of R&D innovation, designed by a dentist for dentists. We then listened to our customer community and introduced the single-use mouthpiece option to serve the needs of certain hospitals, government organizations, and practices in need of the added convenience. DryShield represents a commitment to creating new products that dentists see value from every day. For more information, visit www.dryshield.com.

ABOUT AVISTA CAPITAL PARTNERS

Founded in 2005, Avista Capital is a leading New York-based private equity firm with nearly $8 billion invested in more than 40 growth-oriented healthcare businesses globally. Avista partners with businesses that feature strong management teams, stable cash flows and robust growth prospects – targeting product and technology businesses with clear scale potential across six sub-sectors experiencing strong tailwinds. The team is supported by a group of seasoned Strategic Executives enhancing the entire investment process through strategic insight, operational oversight, and senior counsel, which helps drive growth and performance, while fostering sustainable businesses and creating long-term value for all stakeholders. For more information, visit www.avistacap.com.

A Big Thank You to Practical Clinical Courses and to All of You!

 Saturday morning I was lucky enough to be able to present a lecture dedicated to my favorite technologies live from Provo, Utah.  It was part of Dr. Gordon Christensen's Practical Clinical Courses and I am truly honored to have able to provide the content.

Over the years I've been fortunate enough to have become friends with Dr. Christensen and I'm really grateful in his support for this course.  

However, I also want to let all of YOU know how appreciative I am of you who chose to login and join the fun!  We truly live in exciting times and technology  can really push things to greater and greater heights.

I remember in the early days of the Internet, a good friend of mine who lived in Phoenix and I spent most of an entire Saturday trying to hook up our webcams and be able to see and hear each other.  We were working with a Microsoft program called NetMeeting.  At the time it was one of the coolest things around... if you could get it to work.  Connection speeds at the time were dicey and the amount of bandwidth required was hard to support in those early days.  We finally did get things working to the point that we could "sort of" see and hear each other.  The video was jerky and the audio cut in and out, but we got it to work.

Fast forward to today and we think nothing of a Zoom or Microsoft Teams Meeting with high definition audio and 4K video.  Heck, we are doing this kind of stuff from our phones!

My point is, look at how far things have evolved!  We are in a digital world and the profession of dentistry has become a near digital profession.  There really isn't much that needs to be done in an analog fashion any more.  I'm grateful to those of you. who attend lectures I do and I'm also grateful for all of you who happen to make this blog so successful.  I'm honored to be able to help.

The Dental Compliance Institute Publishes Free Guide “5 Ways to Survive a Ransomware Attack”

 

The Dental Compliance Institute (DCI), a leading provider of compliance training and certification programs for dental professionals, recently published “5 Ways to Survive a Ransomware Attack.” This “survival guide” is the second in a series that examines crucial regulatory topics such as OSHA, HIPAA, and dental risk management.

“The best way to survive a ransomware attack is to prevent one in the first place,” says DCI founder, Linda Harvey, MS, RDH. “That’s why our latest survival guide is focused on explaining how practice owners can effectively minimize the risk of a crippling ransomware attack.”

“5 Ways to Survive a Ransomware Attack” clearly explains why the dental industry needs to be extremely concerned about the state of ransomware as well as the liability of private practices and DSOs who become victims of ransomware attacks. The guide also provides best practices advice via outlining 5 steps to take to prevent ransomware attacks.

Did you know patient health information is worth more on the dark web than financial information? “The estimated cost of a patient record on the dark web varies from a low as $250 to as much as $1000 per record,” explains Harvey.

For multi-location group practices or DSOs, the risk and repercussions of a ransomware attack is exponentially magnified. For example, in the Spring of 2021 several breached email accounts with a multi-state dental administrative services provider impacted over 125,000 patients in ten states. 

Therefore, every individual practice and group owner should download “5 Ways to Survive a Ransomware Attack” at www.RansomwareSurvivalGuide.com.

About the Dental Compliance Institute:

Founded in 2014 and based in Jacksonville, Florida, the mission of the DCI has been to provide dental professionals, including dentists, hygienists, dental assistants, and office managers with the comprehensive, up to date train-the-trainer compliance training and certification regarding OSHA, HIPAA, and dental risk management. For more information, visit www.DentalComplianceInstitute.com