Industry News

Dentistry Pioneer Dr. Peter Dawson Passes Away at 89
Peter E. Dawson, DDS, founder of The Dawson Academy and a dental industry pioneer, passed away on July 27 at the age of 89.

Dawson is internationally known for his contributions to the fields of occlusion and restorative dentistry as well as his concepts on the diagnosis and treatment of temporomandibular disorders. Over his 60-year career, he wrote five books, including the Functional Occlusion: From TMJ to Smile Design and The Complete Dentist. He achieved recognition for his work and earned many accolades, including the ADA Distinguished Service Award, the highest honor given by the American Dental Association’s Board of Trustees.

“Dr. Dawson’s concepts and methodologies changed the dental industry,” said Joan Forrest, executive vice president of innovation and business development at The Dawson Academy. “He was dedicated to helping dental professionals see beyond the tooth to address patients’ issues with functional, beautiful and long-lasting solutions. His clinical contribution is just as important as the impact he had on dentists’ lives by teaching them to lead a happy, balanced life.”

In 1961, Dawson began teaching his one-man lecture series, “Concepts of Complete Dentistry,” which became The Dawson Academy in 1979. His first book, Evaluation, Diagnosis, and Treatment of Occlusal Problems, outlined methods for dental professionals to provide treatments that predictably solve patients’ problems. These methods, first published in 1974, formed the foundation for The Dawson Academy’s courses.

“Pete Dawson’s clinical knowledge of occlusion and all aspects of restorative dentistry has directly or indirectly touched every dentist on the planet,” said Dr. John Cranham, clinical director of The Dawson Academy. “But for the dentists that really studied and spent time with him, it was his concepts of family, faith and life balance that changed our lives. He had the ability to inspire us to understand and spend time on the things that matter most. The concepts of clinical excellence, life balance, and faith and family will remain the core principles taught at The Dawson Academy.”

For more information on The Dawson Academy, visit thedawsonacademy.com.

Cantel to Acquire Hu-Friedy
Cantel Medical, a provider of instrument reprocessing and infection prevention products and services, announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire privately held Hu-Friedy, a 111-year-old manufacturer of instruments and instrument reprocessing workflow systems serving the dental industry. After closing, Cantel will combine Hu-Friedy with its dental division, Crosstex, a provider of infection prevention, sterility assurance, dental water management and conscious sedation systems.

Ron Saslow, chairman and CEO of Hu-Friedy, and Ken Serota, president of Hu-Friedy, will lead the combined dental business post-closing. Gary Steinberg, who has built the Cantel dental division since the acquisition of Crosstex, will assist in the post-close transition and integration of these two businesses and will retire at the end of the calendar year.

Dallas-Area Townie Involved in Campaign Benefiting Operation Smile
With the launch of its “Smiles” campaign, Lay’s is sharing 31 stories of people who make an impact in their local communities. The campaign benefits international medical charity Operation Smile with a donation of up to $1 million in proceeds.

Among the 31 people selected, Dr. Shalin Patel, partner and chief clinical officer at Deca Dental Group, was the only dentist. Nominated by the Frito-Lay organization, Patel volunteers alongside many other Deca Dental dentists to promote the benefits of good oral hygiene education for thousands of children through local schools and community programs. Deca Dental supports multiple community organizations, and every fall their team of dentists spend a day to screen hundreds of children across local Dallas schools at the Emmitt Smith Back to School Event. Patel estimates that he and his team have screened more than a thousand children.

Patel stresses the importance of oral hygiene education at a young age, and when treating children, he and his team put on a performance to make the experience memorable. After treatment, he enjoys watching them grow and seeing their newfound confidence.

For more information and to see Patel’s campaign video, visit nowthisoriginals.com/videos/food/dr-shalin.

Ascentcare Dental Products Receives U.S. Patent for Illuminated Dental Instruments
Ascentcare Dental Products, a dental products company focused on creating innovative dental technologies, announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has issued U.S. Patent 10,350,027, which covers illuminated dental instruments using magnetically coupled fiber optic bulk lighting.

The issuance of this most recent patent covers several of the instruments developed by Ascentcare that use fiber optics to provide intense illumination in hard-to-reach places. Using a strong light engine and a flexible, magnetically coupled fiber optic cable, Ascentcare offers many instruments that solve the problem of intraoral lighting. These instruments include an illuminated dental mirror, transillumination tool, lighted saliva ejector tube holder and intraoral light.

For more information, visit ascentcaredental.com or call 800-500-0533.

KaVo Kerr Launches KaVo Care Handpiece Repair
KaVo Kerr has announced the launch of a service program designed to make handpiece repairs faster and easier. The service, KaVo Care, offers an online portal where customers will find flat-fee pricing based on the device they wish to service. From there, they can submit and track the status of their repair order. To expedite the process, KaVo has made investments to expand their repair facility in Charlotte, North Carolina, so that most repairs will be completed within 24 hours upon arrival.

KaVo Care comprises certified KaVo specialists who use only original equipment manufacturer parts that meet the highest quality and regulatory standards. With faster turnaround times and flat-fee pricing, KaVo Care is designed to offer predictability and peace of mind when it comes to handpiece service.

For more information, visit kavocare.com.