Message Boards
Today's Active Topics Today's Active Cases Browse Forum Categories My Recent Activity My Messages Private Groups My Marked Threads My Subscriptions
Today's Active Images Today's Active Polls Most Active Topics Global Townie Map Advanced Message Board Search Message Board Terms of Use

Corporate Profile: National Dental Network By Thomas Giacobbi, DDS, FAGD, Editorial Director, Dentaltown Magazine

More by this author (317)

Dentists who want to further develop their skills in aesthetics, restorative, full mouth, occlusion, endodontic and implant dentistry can now receive CE-accredited instruction directly from some of the world’s leading clinicians – in the comfort of their home or office. National Dental Network (NDN), the world’s leading provider of dental and medical distance learning, is redefining CE by presenting quality continuing education on-demand and in cost-effective formats. Dentaltown Magazine recently spoke with CEO William Mays and President David Porritt about NDN’s course production, partnerships, sister networks and the future of distance learning.


NDN started in 1995, correct?

Mays: Yes, NDN was founded in 1995. The first stop was Westcott Communications. In the early 90s, we grew that company to about $100 million. It was the first publicly traded distance-learning company in the country and served the corporate business and large healthcare sectors. In 1995, we decided to take those same resources for training and education and bring them to dentistry.

David, you joined NDN in 2004. What was it about the company that got your attention?

Porritt: I partnered with William because I saw the future of continuing education in distance learning, and I believed that we could offer a significant value to the profession. Today, NDN is truly an educational entity without boundaries and represents an extraordinary opportunity for any dentist, anywhere in the world, to have access to instruction from leading clinicians performing live-patient procedures.

Explain NDN’s niche in distance learning.

Porritt: NDN is unique because of its neutrality. Our platform allows us to deliver programming that is relevant and timely from all of the leading institutes and renowned instructors – without any editorializing. We offer an opportunity for dentists to “virtually” walk the halls of the various institutes and sit shoulder-to-shoulder with some of the world’s leading clinicians and opinion leaders.



What formats are the programs available in?

Porritt: NDN’s distance learning programs were originally distributed only on VHS and then DVD. But recent advances in technology have made it possible to deliver high-quality clinical instruction through the Internet and to hand-held devices like the iPod, so now dentists can get stellar CE in the palm of their hand. NDN also offers interactive Webcasts and live satellite broadcasts, which enables our viewers to get answers to their questions in real time, directly from the presenting clinician.

Is distance learning a good substitute for hands-on training?

Porritt: We believe that distance learning augments and enhances hands-on training, but it is not a replacement for the type of instruction that only hands-on can offer. Actually, one of NDN’s key value propositions is that doctors can “test drive” or experience different teaching institutions and instructors before making an extensive investment in their hands-on training.

Are CE credits offered with NDN programs?

Porritt: Absolutely, and as an ADA/CERP and AGD/ Pace approved provider, we adhere to rigorous guidelines that assure our viewers that they are receiving quality continuing education, and we make it very convenient. Doctors can measure their recall and retention by taking exams online at www.nationaldentalnetwork.com. With one click, they submit their completed exam and receive immediate notification whether they have passed or need to resubmit. The NDN Web site also offers video vignettes, and collateral educational materials, including before-and-after digital case photographs, to further expand a dentist’s knowledge of the topics covered in each of the programs.

What is the value proposition for end users?

Mays: Distance learning with NDN means watching and learning in your own time and at your own pace, so no unnecessary travel or lost production from closing the office to attend a CE program. The added benefits are seeing the procedures up close and being able to watch them over and over again. It’s also being able to view new product in action, or pick up new tips and techniques for mature products. If we can help our viewers eliminate just two unit-redos, they’ve paid for the cost of our series.

Do all of your programs include some live-patient component?

Mays: Currently, we have more than 130 programs in our library and the majority of them are live-patient, clinical programs. Each of these programs showcases the entire case from start to finish and is filmed utilizing at least three different cameras. One of our strengths is our more than 15 years of medical and surgical filming and production experience, plus the equipment to bring it all together in a larger-than-life format. And that’s what a dentist needs in order to truly see and understand a clinical technique as it’s being performed.

Which topics are difficult to produce?

Porritt: The cases that pose the greatest challenge, logistically, are implant and full-mouth reconstruction. Since we film procedures every step of the way, those cases require multiple trips and up to six months to complete.

How do you decide on course topics?

Porritt: Actually, it’s our viewers who drive programming. We seek input and rely heavily on them for both topic and presenter selection. We also are in constant conversation with the leading clinicians in dentistry and we listen for their opinions about the direction in which the profession is moving. We enjoy relationships with the large dental manufacturers and they, too, are a great resource, since they have their fingers on the pulse of dentistry. Dentaltown.com is certainly a significant resource for hot and current topics.

Are the programs video taped at the presenter’s dental office or in your studio?

Mays: Our studio is a state-of-the-art 190,000-square-foot facility and as much as we love it, we only use it to shoot our practice management programs. The bulk of our programs, more than 99 percent of them, are clinical and shot on location at either the clinician’s practice or a training institute.

Can you explain a bit about your sister network the National Cosmetic Network (NCN)?

Mays: NCN, which presents education for cosmetic surgeons, is going on its second year. It is a full partnership with John Hopkins University School of Medicine. We are really honored to have this prestigious institution as our CE partner. Recently, Johns Hopkins and NCN established a joint grant to provide live-patient specialty training to all surgical residents across the United States. The grant makes it possible for the residents to observe and learn from leading experts in the field and is being heralded as an important way to raise the level of patient safety and professionalism in cosmetic surgery.



So where do you see NDN going in the next three to five years?

Mays: Global bandwidth is vastly improving, and as a result, we will be building a much broader international audience with our streaming content. This is a very exciting opportunity to bring NDN programs to dentists across the globe. At the same time, we are recruiting and featuring leading clinicians from Switzerland, Germany, Israel, England, and Brazil in our programs. This mix of new clinicians will continue to keep NDN programs very fresh – especially as it relates to material, product and technique innovations.

Tell me about the National Lab Network (NLN). What was the genesis behind it?

Mays: There is a major training crisis in the lab industry. This is due to a convergence of three major trends: a 60 percent decline in the number of two-year dental technology programs over the last 20 years; a growing shortage of skilled lab technicians; and the explosion of new dental products and materials being fueled by demand for cosmetic dentistry. NLN was created in 2006 to respond to these challenges by providing on-demand technical bench-side training and education to the industry. The labs have responded very strongly and we have a partnership in place with NADL (National Association of Dental Laboratories). Everyone in this industry is interconnected – from dental schools, to students, to lab techs, to dental manufacturers. The way we see it is, “the more we support one another, the more we impact quality of life within the industry – and with patients.”

There are a lot of CE programs on DVD out there. How would you compare your programs from others that are on the market?

Porritt: Our slogan is “real-world dentistry from the world leaders.” It’s a simple statement, but so much goes into making it happen on a day-to-day basis. We do everything we can to represent a real-world environment and we put tremendous effort into working closely with the clinicians to determine the most effective education design for the procedures being presented, and utilizing the exact camera angles, lighting, that will capture a view that rivals that of the clinician performing the procedure.

How can dentists learn about NDN’s programs?

Mays: A doctor can learn more by visiting our Web site, www.nationaldentalnetwork.com. The Web site offers short video clips of some of our best-selling programs.

How would you describe NDN to a dentist meeting you for the first time?

Mays: NDN brings the expertise of the world leaders to you; it’s an efficient, flexible and cost-effective way to learn about new clinical techniques, products, and materials. We make the experience easy, we make it comfortable, we make it powerful and we make it affordable.
Dentaltown Magazine
September 2025
Dentaltown Magazine September 2025 Read Current Issue Read Archived Issues
Sponsors
Townie Perks
Townie® Poll
Who or what do you turn to for most financial advice regarding your practice?
  
Site Menu
Message Boards Magazine Continuing Education Podcasts Blogs Classifieds Dental News Events Townie® Poll Ebooks Townie Choice Awards
Company Info
Contact Us Advertise With Us Howard Farran DDS, MBA Policies and Agreements
Site Help
Sally Gross, Member Services Specialist
Phone: +1-480-445-9710
Email: sally@farranmedia.com
©2025 Dentaltown, a division of Farran Media • All Rights Reserved
9633 S. 48th Street Suite 200 • Phoenix, AZ 85044 • Phone:+1-480-598-0001 • Fax:+1-480-598-3450