The 2020 Eastern Conference of Dental Laboratories has been canceled due to COVID-19. In 2021, the Eastern Conference and the North Carolina Dental Laboratory Association will host 2021 Collaborative East, on September 24-25 at the Benton Convention Center in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

"Due to COVID-19, the NCDLA Board of Directors made the decision to move the 2020 annual meeting to 2021," the organization says in a statement. "Be on the lookout for exciting program updates and a link to the group room block coming soon!"

For more information on the event, as well as ways to obtain required CE this year, go to eastern-conference.com

Vista Apex has completed an extensive rebranding effort in response to accelerated company growth and a deep commitment to the company mission. Vista Dental's acquisition of Apex Dental Materials in March 2019 marked the beginning of an Innovation Powerhouse.

Ashleigh Stanford, Director of Marketing, said, "Identity is more important than ever. How Vista Apex presents itself should match the talent and drive of this team. Vista Apex provides deep and rich end-to-end solutions for Restorative and Endodontic needs, and our brand now reflects the care with which we innovate, and the quality of our products."

Vista Apex has an extensive innovation pipeline, developed in partnership with some of the brightest clinicians in Dentistry. Vista Apex plans to introduce several innovative products in the upcoming year.

"Our vision has been to methodically build out our engineering talent, manufacturing capabilities, and a Sales and Marketing leadership team with Dental Industry veterans. The team we have now complimented our commitment to working directly with clinicians to solve Dental Professionals' acute needs worldwide. Our mission is partnering with and innovating for Clinicians to achieve better patient outcomes," said Scott Lamerand, Chief Executive Officer at Vista Apex.

About Vista Apex

Vista Apex is a market leader in Endodontic and Restorative solutions. Having been a market leader in Endodontic Solutions, Vista Dental was looking to apply their chemical and biomedical expertise to its restorative line. With the acquisition of Apex Dental Materials, an innovation powerhouse was formed. Together, the Vista Apex team has a passion for being a trusted partner who provides quality solutions for our Clinicians.

Marie-Laure Pochon and Joe Harms with the support of Galiena Capital are glad to announce the acquisition of 3DISC, an American R&D company which has developed a unique fully digital intra-oral-scanning (IOS) technology for dentists & specialists worldwide. 3DISC will become part of the newly formed 3DISC Dental Connect.

The newly released IOS from 3DISC is unprecedent in the industry by making this technology accessible to all clinicians by improving the overall user experience :

5 minutes unboxing and installation

Plug & play

Intuitive user interface

Fast & Accurate scanning

One single click communication to the lab

No fees ever

“With this technology we believe we are positioned to change the clinicians practice towards better dentistry” says Marie-Laure

Pochon, CEO & President of 3DISC Dental Connect. “I am excited for the opportunity to expand the usage of IOS technology to all clinicians and to bring 3DISC Dental Connect to a

leading position in the market” says Joe Harms, EVP Americas of 3DISC Dental Connect. Mathieu Aubailly will continue supporting the company as its Chief Technology Officer.

Selling founder Sigrid Smitt Goldman stated “I am excited to complete this transaction and hand over the reins to Marie-Laure and Joe. I am confident that they will be able to create a great commercial success on the technical foundation we have laid”.

CEO Thomas Weldingh said “I have been privileged to be part of the success of 3DISC up to this point, and I look forward to watching the future growth of the company”.

To learn more about 3DISC please visit www.3disc.com.

Mid-Atlantic Dental Partners, a dental support organization (“DSO”) dedicated to improving the delivery of dental services for dentists, have announced the promotion of Pamela Holder to Chief Revenue Officer. In her new role, Holder will oversee revenue operations companywide and the growth and expansion of Mid-Atlantic Dental. A headshot of Holder can be found here.

“In under two years, Pamela has already solidified herself as a goal-focused and results-driven team member dedicated to our clients, and her work has not gone unnoticed,” said Mitchell Goldman, Chief Executive Officer of Mid-Atlantic Dental Partners. “We are excited to see what Pamela accomplishes in her new role as Chief Revenue Officer.”

Holder brings more than 12 years of dental and healthcare revenue experience to her role at Mid-Atlantic Dental. She joined the company in January 2019 as Vice President of Revenue Cycle and was promoted to Senior Vice President of Revenue Cycle Management the following year. Prior to joining Mid-Atlantic Dental, she headed her own consulting firm where she worked with DSOs and solo practices to analyze all aspects of the revenue cycle. Additionally, she held multiple roles within a revenue cycle capacity at a large dental service organization.

“Pam is one of the best examples of how you can accomplish anything you desire if you are dedicated, humble and willing to work hard,” said Leigh Feenburg, Chief Operating Officer of Mid-Atlantic Dental Partners. “Pam has touched the lives of literally thousands in her career, leaving the most positive impressions on those she supports and advancing so many careers of those she has led.”

Holder holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science, with a concentration in Foreign Policy of the Middle East, from Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. As a former executive of one of the country’s largest DSOs, Holder has been a member of ADSO, NDEDIC, AADGP, NADP and sat on the DSO Advisory board for NADP. In 2015, Holder was a Stevie Bronze Medal winner for National Businesswoman of the Year and a Rising Star Award nominee for the National Dental EDI Council in 2016.

Founded in 2016, Mid-Atlantic Dental Partners offers dentists a DSO model that supports dental professionals by providing marketing, financial, practice information and other business services so dentists and other dental professionals can focus on delivering the highest quality care to their patients. In addition, Mid-Atlantic Dental Partners supported practices offers associate dentists an opportunity to participate in the financial success of the practices. The company currently has 200 practices in 17 states and will continue to expand its national footprint and tap into new markets.

About Mid-Atlantic Dental Partners

Founded in 2016, Mid-Atlantic Dental Partners is a dental support organization dedicated to improving the delivery of dental care by elevating the importance of dental care in the overall health care of patients and their communities. By providing dentists with financial management, marketing and technology services, Mid-Atlantic Dental Partners alleviates administrative burdens and allows dentists to focus on their patients.

For more information, visit https://www.mid-atlanticdental.com.

Oral cancer is more likely to spread in patients experiencing high levels of pain, according to a team of researchers at New York University (NYU) College of Dentistry that found genetic and cellular clues as to why metastatic oral cancers are so painful.

The findings—which appear in Scientific Reports, a journal published by Nature—may ultimately be used to alleviate oral cancer pain and refine surgical decision making when treating oral cancer.

Oral cancer can cause severe pain during everyday activities, including talking and eating. Previous research by Brian L. Schmidt, DDS, MD, PhD, director of the NYU Oral Cancer Center and one of the study’s authors, suggests that patients with metastatic oral cancer—cancer that spreads beyond the mouth—experience more pain than those whose cancer has not spread. The new study helps researchers understand why.

When oral cancer metastasizes, spreading to lymph nodes in the neck, a patient’s chance of survival is cut by half. However, it’s often unclear through imaging and physical assessment if oral cancer has spread, leaving surgeons struggling with whether to preemptively remove lymph nodes—an invasive procedure termed prophylactic neck dissection—during surgery to remove the oral cancer. While most oral cancer surgeries include a prophylactic neck dissection, research shows that up to 70 percent are unnecessary.

“Clinicians and researchers are keen to define a biomarker that accurately predicts metastasis,” said Aditi Bhattacharya, PhD, an assistant professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at NYU College of Dentistry, an investigator at NYU Bluestone Center for Clinical Research, and the study’s lead author. “Given that patients with metastatic oral cancer experience more pain, we thought that a patient’s level of pain might help predict metastasis. A surgeon could then use this knowledge to only remove lymph nodes in patients with cancers that are most likely to metastasize.”

In their study in Scientific Reports, the researchers first documented the pain experienced by 72 oral cancer patients before surgery, using an oral cancer pain questionnaire developed by the investigators. While most patients reported some pain, those who suffered with the most pain were more likely to have cancer that spread to lymph nodes in the neck. This observation suggests that patients with less pain are at low risk of metastasis, and will rarely benefit from a neck dissection.

To begin to understand why metastatic cancers are more painful, the investigators looked for differences in gene expression between metastatic cancers from patients with high levels of pain compared to non-metastatic cancers from patients not experiencing pain. Cancer pain is attributed to the release of mediators from cancers that sensitize nerves near the cancer. Forty genes were identified that were more highly expressed in painful metastatic cancers, suggesting that they promote metastasis and mediate cancer pain. Many of these genes are found in exosomes, small vesicles that break away from a cell and can be taken up by other cells—revealing a potential mechanism for how cancers communicate with nerves.

“I have been investigating the underlying cause of oral cancer pain for two decades. This is the first time that we have demonstrated a correlation between a patient’s pain and the clinical behavior of the cancer,” said Schmidt, who is also the director of the NYU Bluestone Center for Clinical Research and professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at NYU College of Dentistry.

Next, the team undertook laboratory experiments to study exosomes found in the extracellular fluid of oral cancer cells grown in the lab. When this extracellular fluid was injected into animal models, it produced pain, but when the cancer-derived exosomes in the fluid were removed, it did not cause pain. This suggests that exosomes from cancer may be responsible for oral cancer pain.

Now, with a deeper understanding of why metastatic oral cancers are painful, the researchers point to several potential clinical applications for their research, including a biomarker for oral cancer metastasis to help with surgical decision making and future testing options.

“While we need to undertake a follow-up study, our current data reveal that a patient’s pain intensity score works as well as the current method—depth of invasion, or how deeply a tumor has invaded nearby tissue—as an index to predict metastasis,” said Bhattacharya.

“The identified genes are targets for therapy aimed at stopping pain and cancer. In addition, exosomes shed from cancers can be detected in saliva, blood, and urine, offering the potential for an objective molecular test to diagnose risk of metastasis,” said Donna Albertson, PhD, professor in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery at NYU College of Dentistry, an investigator at NYU Bluestone Center for Clinical Research, and the study’s corresponding author.

The research was supported by the National Institutes of Health grants (R01CA113833, R21CA163019, 3UL1TR000004-07S1, R01DE019796, R01DE026806, and R21DE026964).

About the Bluestone Center for Clinical Research

The Bluestone Center for Clinical Research, in conjunction with the NYU Oral Cancer Center, is an academic research organization located at the NYU College of Dentistry. Bluestone's mission is to take a creative scientific approach to transform world health. Investigators at Bluestone Center conduct research on oral cancer, cancer symptomatology, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, emerging biotechnology, periodontics, implants, and oral health products.

About NYU College of Dentistry

Founded in 1865, New York University College of Dentistry (NYU Dentistry) is the third oldest and the largest dental school in the US, educating nearly 10 percent of all dentists. NYU Dentistry has a significant global reach with a highly diverse student body. Visit https://dental.nyu.edu for more. 

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) honored more than 20 award recipients for their accomplishments in education, research, advocacy and humanitarianism at the association’s 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting, Scientific Sessions and Exhibition.

The awards presentation was held during the virtual Opening Ceremony of the 102nd AAOMS Annual Meeting – the largest gathering of oral and maxillofacial surgeons in the country – in October.

The Annual Meeting was dedicated posthumously to Richard H. Haug, DDS, of Charlotte, N.C., an international expert in maxillofacial trauma. His honors include the 2007 American Dental Association’s Golden Apple Award for undergraduate education, 2007 Donald B. Osborn Award for an Outstanding Educator, 2016 OMS Foundation Research Recognition Award and 1999 AAOMS Committee Person of the Year Award. The author of more than 125 peer-reviewed articles and six books, he served two decades as Current Therapy and Craniomaxillofacial Trauma section editor for the Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery. Dr. Haug, who died in 2018, also was Consulting Editor for the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Clinics of North America and its accompanying Atlas.

R. Gilbert Triplett, DDS, PhD, of Dallas, Texas, received the Robert V. Walker Distinguished Service Award recognizing significant contributions to the oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMS) specialty. He is regents professor and acting head of the OMS department at the Texas A&M University College of Dentistry and chief of the OMS division at Baylor University Medical Center. Previously, he served as head of the dental branch Combat Casualty Care section of the Naval Medical Research Institute in Bethesda, Md., director of the OMS residency program at University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio and chair of the OMS and pharmacology department and assistant dean for hospital affairs at Baylor College of Dentistry. He has written more than 100 peer-reviewed articles.

Other AAOMS award winners are:

· Clinical Research Awards – Tara L. Aghaloo, DDS, MD, PhD, of Los Angeles, Calif.; and Robert E. Marx, DDS, of Miami, Fla.

· Committee Person of the Year Award – Deepak Kademani, DMD, MD, FACS, of Minneapolis, Minn.

· Daniel M. Laskin Award for an Outstanding Predoctoral Educator – Warren W. Arrasmith, DMD, of Birmingham, Ala.

· Donald B. Osbon Award for an Outstanding Educator – David J. Dattilo, DDS, of Pittsburgh, Pa.

· Faculty Educator Development Awards – Kyle Ettinger, DDS, MD, of Rochester, Minn.; Arshad Kaleem, DMD, MD, of Miami; Mark Miller, DMD, MD, of San Antonio, Texas; and Simon Young, DDS, MD, PhD, of Houston, Texas

· Honorary Fellowship – Pamela Congdon, CAE, IOM, Executive Director of California Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons; and William C. Passolt, CPA, OMSNIC President/CEO and OMS Foundation Chair

· Humanitarian Awards for Fellows and Members – Jeffrey J. Moses, DDS, of Carlsbad, Calif.; and Sanford L. Ratner, DDS, FACS, of Santa Ana, Calif.

· John F. Freihaut Political Activist Award – Bernard J. Asdell, DDS, of South Bend, Ind.

· Outstanding Legislator of the Year Award – U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) and U.S. Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio)

· Presidential Achievement Award – Stephen A. Sachs, DDS, FACS, of New York, N.Y.

· Resident Scientific Awards – Corissa Chang, DDS, of Philadelphia, Pa.; and Jeffrey Marschall, DMD, MD, of Louisville, Ky.

· Special Honorary Fellowship – Robert P. Bentley, BDS, MB BChFDSRCS, FRCS, FRCS (OMFS), president of the British Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons

· William J. Gies Foundation Award – Zachary S. Peacock, DMD, MD, FACS, of Boston, Mass.

OMS Foundation awards also were announced. In alliance with AAOMS, the Foundation strives to enhance patient care quality and safety through advancing innovation in OMS research and education:

· OMS Foundation Torch Award – Eric Geist, DDS, FACS, of Monroe, La.

· OMS Foundation Research Recognition Award – Scott B. Boyd, DDS, PhD, of Nashville, Tenn.

· OMS Foundation Gerald E. Hanson Outstanding Service Award – A. Thomas Indresano, DMD, FACS, AAOMS Immediate Past President

· OMS Foundation Daniel M. Laskin Award – “Maxillomandibular Advancement Improves Multiple Health-Related and Functional Outcomes in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Multicenter Study,” Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Vol. 77, Issue 2, p. 352-370, by Scott B. Boyd, DDS, PhD, of Nashville; Radhika Chigurupati, DMD, MS, of Boston; Joseph E. Cillo Jr., DMD, MPH, PhD, FACS, of Pittsburgh; Gail Eskes, PhD, R Psych, Halifax, N.S.; Reginald Goodday, DDS, MSc, of Halifax; Tina Meisami, DDS, FRCDC, of Toronto, Ont.; Christopher F. Viozzi, DDS, MD, of Rochester; Peter Waite, DDS, MD, MPH, FACS, of Birmingham; and James Wilson, DDS, of Houston

The experts in face, mouth and jaw surgery® — The American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) is the professional organization representing more than 11,000 oral and maxillofacial surgeons, OMS residents and OMS professional staff in the United States. AAOMS supports its fellows' and members' ability to practice their specialty through education, research and advocacy. AAOMS fellows and members comply with rigorous continuing education requirements and submit to periodic office anesthesia evaluations. For additional information about oral and maxillofacial surgery, visit the AAOMS websites at AAOMS.org and myOMS.org.

The Dental Trade Alliance (DTA) is pleased to announce that US Surgeon General, Vice Admiral Jerome M. Adams, MD, MPH and Assistant Surgeon General and USPHS Chief Dental Officer RADM Timothy L. Ricks, DMD, MPH, FICD will participate in the 2020 DTA Virtual Annual Meeting.

Admiral Adams will be interviewed by Terri Dolan, DDS, MPH, Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer of Dentsply Sirona. This session will provide important insights from the pandemic and how the dental industry can best partner with the public health community.

Greg Chavez, CEO of the DTA, said: “We are thrilled to have Dr. Adams add his insights to this 2020 DTA Virtual Annual Meeting session. Having his clinical perspective during this global public health crisis helps take the 2020 DTA Annual Meeting to an exciting new level. Now more than ever DTA members need this type of critical information as they fine tune their 2021 business plans.”

The conversation will occur on Friday, November 13 from 1:00 to 2:00pm EST. Discussion will focus on both the pandemic at the macro level and how the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services responded to a massive public health crisis.

The close the session Dr. Dolan and Rear Admiral Timothy L. Ricks, DMD, MPH, FICD, Assistant Surgeon General and the 19th Chief Dental Officer of the US Public Health Service will participate in a fire side chat followed by a live Q&A.

Learn more and register for the 2020 DTA Virtual Annual Meeting.

ABOUT THE DENTAL TRADE ALLIANCE

The Dental Trade Alliance (DTA) is a member supported trade association of distributors, manufacturers and service providers of the oral health profession and industry with the common goal of improving the state of oral care. The organization provides resources, knowledge-sharing opportunities and advocacy supporting businesses throughout North America, with ties to the rest of the globe. With a dedication to oral health that reaches back to the 1800’s, the modern day DTA is committed to the success of its members and the industry at large.

More than 150 million IPS e.max restorations placed, with a survival rate of 96% during more than 15 years of clinical use, is the foundation of confidence upon which Ivoclar Vivadent offers the IPS e.max guarantee to their customers. The exclusive IPS e.max guarantee is as strong as the material itself.

Ivoclar Vivadent has complete confidence and trust in the integrity and reliability of the IPS e.max family of materials, including IPS e.max Press, IPS e.max CAD, IPS e.max ZirCAD®, and IPS e.max ZirCAD Prime, based on the extensive range of positive data and clinical research on the long-term durability and esthetic reliability of the IPS e.max family of materials (www.makeitemax.com). They now extend that confidence to their customers.

Dentists and dental technicians who use IPS e.max products are now backed by their exclusive 10-year limited warranty on the survivability of those restorations. Their 10-year limited warranty is not only valid to IPS e.max restorations placed from July 1, 2020, onward but also applies retroactively 5 years to permanent restorations placed on or after July 1, 2015.

Your trust; their promise

Customer trust in the family of IPS e.max restorative materials is now rewarded and backed up by Ivoclar Vivadent's promise of a 10-year limited warranty. Laboratories will receive reimbursement or replacement for the product in the event of a dental restoration failure after placement in a patient, and practitioners will be reimbursed for the replacement or repair of work previously accomplished. Please see the complete details on the limited warranty at: guarantee.ipsemax.com. They are the only manufacturer with the confidence to offer a 10-year guarantee against the physical failure of their restorative materials.

Customer satisfaction is of utmost importance to Ivoclar Vivadent.

Regardless of which IPS e.max materials you use, or in which combination you use them, this exclusive IPS e.max 10-year limited warranty gives you additional confidence and peace of mind, whether you used them 5 years ago or will be using them in the future.

For more information: guarantee.ipsemax.com

Dental Services Group (DSG®), one of the largest US-based dental laboratory networks, has announced that their Group Practice Solutions (GPS) laboratory has relocated to a larger facility in Sarasota, FL, to accommodate growth.

GPS specializes in servicing the group practice dental market nationwide. The new 7,500-square foot facility has been remodeled to support the growth and expansion of the full-service dental laboratory. GPS offers a complete line of dental prosthetic services including digital and implant-supported restorations, quick denture repairs, fixed prosthodontics, orthodontic appliances, night guards, dentures, and partials. GPS has also added a local pick-up and delivery service for dental practices in the surrounding area.

For further information or to send a case to GPS, contact Devon Howe at 877-692-7676. To learn more about DSG laboratories, visit https://www.dentalservices.net/ or call 800-259-3717.

Structo Pte Ltd, a Singapore-based provider of 3D printing solutions and technology, has announced the appointment of Desmond Lim as their new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). Desmond brings with him over 30 years of experience in executive and board leadership roles across various disciplines, ranging from multinationals to private/venture equity portfolio companies. Following this announcement, Founding CEO Huub van Esbroeck has been named Structo’s new Head of R&D.

Desmond started his career at Arthur Andersen followed by several multi-disciplinary roles in finance and strategy at Deutsche Bank, GE Capital, Honeywell and Avago Technologies (now Broadcom). He also held the Chief Financial Officer role at Heptagon where he successfully took the company through a strategic acquisition process by ams AG, a European-listed conglomerate. Prior to joining Structo, Desmond served as Chief Financial Officer for Tessa Therapeutics, a clinical-stage cell therapy company developing next-generation cancer treatments.

“I am excited to be joining such an innovative and forward-looking team at Structo,” said Desmond. “Additive manufacturing is laying the path for the digital factory of the future in numerous industries. Structo’s unique application-based product development approach is key to continue pushing the adoption of digital manufacturing technology to effectively solve industry problems, starting with the dental industry,” he added.

As Desmond takes the helm, Huub will transition to his new role of Head of R&D to focus on innovating and developing new technologies that further push the envelope of additive manufacturing. As co-founder, Huub initially took on the CEO role and has led Structo from its infancy as a concept to where they are now globally as a company with an install base across five continents, where its 3D printers are producing hundreds of thousands of dental appliances every month.

“We are proud to have Desmond bring his experience and expertise to our mission, and to strategically navigate the company as it inflects and grows to a higher plateau,” said Huub van Esbroeck, founding CEO of the company. “When my co-founders and I started Structo over 6 years ago in a small workshop on campus, never did we imagine it growing into the global company it is today,” said Huub. “This is a testament to the great team we have been able to assemble over the years, and with Desmond coming on board to lead the next stage of growth, we are incredibly confident that we’ll continue to scale to greater heights than ever.”