Editor's Note By: Carol Murphy, Executive Editor

More than a century ago, George Eastman, founder of the Eastman Kodak Co., unleashed an entrepreneurial spirit to simplify the complex art of photography. In 1888, with the slogan “you press the button, we do the rest,” Eastman put the first simple camera into the hands of a world of consumers. He made a cumbersome and complicated process easy-to-use and accessible to nearly everyone.

What George Eastman began still remains a paramount goal of Kodak today––to provide convenience and quality to their customers. Making advanced technology intuitive and easy-to-use continues to be one of Kodak’s greatest strengths.

Since the mid-1970s, Kodak has led the way in the development of solid-state image sensors that convert light to digital pictures. In 1986, Kodak scientists designed and fabricated the world’s first megapixel sensor—capable of recording 1.4 million picture elements, enough data to produce 5 x 7-inch digital prints that have the clarity usually associated with traditional photographs.

Our corporate profile this month, focuses on Kodak’s latest explosive growth in the digital sector with their acquisition last October of PracticeWorks (practice management software) and their subsidiary, Trophy Radiologie, S.A., a leading provider of dental digital radiographic imaging systems. With the integration of these companies into their digital segment, Kodak now offers an easy way for dentists to integrate images and information within their practices that will save time, money and best of all, reduce the stressful integration process of ‘going digital.’

Richard Hirschland, vice president, Kodak’s Dental Systems and president and CEO, PracticeWorks, summed up Kodak’s reason for this acquisition and future plans within the dental industry saying, “With its 100-year history in the radiographic film business, Kodak is in a unique position to advance imaging and information technology in the dental practice. Radiographic film will continue to be an important product in our portfolio, but with this acquisition, Kodak will be in a position to also help guide dental professionals along the evolutionary path of dental radiographic imaging.”

If you’re attending the Chicago Mid-Winter Dental Meeting, you won’t want to miss the opportunity to ‘boogie down’ at Sirona’s Night Fever Party at Chicago’s famous House of Blues on Saturday, February 21 at 8 p.m. Las Vegas’ very own Boogie Knights will provide entertainment. I’ve been told that every groovy swinger in the dental industry is cordially invited to get down and get funky at this ‘party of the year’. Stop by the Sirona booth at the Chicago Midwinter Show to pick up your tickets for this event. Tickets will go fast, so don’t be left out in the COLD on this one!