Dentsply
Encyclopedia
Dentsply International is an American dental equipment maker and dental consumables producer that markets its products in over 120 countries (factories in 21 countries). It is a leader in consumable dental products.
As an equipment maker it designs and manufactures laboratory and specialty products relating to dental supplies. With regards to consumable products it specializes in anesthetics, plaque and gum disease
prevention (prophylaxis) and tooth polishers; It also designs and constructs artificial teeth. Because of the income disparity between wealthy and developing nations the variety of products in demand differs from region to region (and thus subsidiary to subsidiary since many of them are regional). In 2010 the most important markets for sales were Europe & CIS (40%), USA (37%), Latin America (5%), Asia (excl CIS and Japan, 5%), Canada 4%, Japan (4%), Middle East & Africa (3%) and Australia (2%). The largest market that Dentsply holds a leading market share in is the dental restorative sector ($4.0 billion according to the company).
Dentsply was originally incorporated in 1899 as Dentists' Supply Company about the same time it made its first acquisition, a Pennsylvania porcelain teeth manufacturer. One of the 4 founders, George H. Whiteley became the main operator of the company as a result of his experience as a ceramist. Whiteley's contributions to the company were invaluable as he was responsible for many innovations such as a patented process involving platinum rings that reduced tooth breakage. Other innovations (credited to doctors like James Williams who were hired by the company for research purposes) included better fitting dentures, tooth size for people of different face shapes and age specific colored teeth.
In the early 1920s the company selected European distributor E.de Trey & Sons as its primary marketer to Europe however it quickly became the company's main distributor in the US also. A rivalry between De Trey and the main other denture equipment producer at the time Ash company nearly eliminated cash flows due to extreme price cutting. The problem was resolved when the two decided to merge their distribution businesses into one named the Amalgamated Dental Company Limited. In 1925 45% of Zahnfabrik (artificial teeth producer) was bought by Dentists' Supply and its distributor Amalgamated Dental bought a 30% interest in the manufacturer.
High American tariffs and increased efforts to gain market share abroad especially in Europe and Australia led the company to set up more research and manufacturing centers abroad. Its first foreign subsidiary was established in Australia as a means to acquire Natudryl Manufacturing. In the 1950s and 1960s the company developed many of the ideas used by its equipment today like tooth cleaning machine Dentsply Cavitron and Neolux which improved the finish of plastic teeth. The company renamed itself Dentsply International in 1969 due to its products' brand name being more widely recognized.
Key acquisitions by Dentists' Supply Company: LD Caulk Company in 1963, Ransom and Randolph Company in 1964, F&F Koenigkramer Company (chairs and stools). Largest was Amalgamated Dental Industrial (former distributor that played a major role in helping the company grow early on that also controlled Australia's largest dental supply chain) in 1976.
In 1993 after it acquired Gendex Corp in a reverse takeover it went public on the Nasdaq. The new company then purchased medical x-ray tubes supplier Eureka X-Ray Inc. which was key since Gendex was a major manufacturer of x-ray systems (Eureka X-Ray was later sold in 1994).
Healthco its main distributor in the US went bankcrupt in 1993.
In June 2011 Dentsply acquired Astra Tech, the world's third largest maker of dental implants from British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca
for $1.8 billion. The deal raises revenue by 25% ($535M) and was completed on August 31, 2011.
Regional
Dentsply; Africa, Middle East, Asia, South Africa, North America, Canada, Mexico, South America, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Australia
Asia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, France, Italia, Maillefer, Nordics, Poland, Portugal
Russia (CIS), Spain, Switzerland/Austria, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Benelux
Product specific
Dentsply; Friadent, Pharmaceutical - anesthetics, Professional - preventive, handpieces & burs, Prosthetics - lab products, Raintree Essix - orthodontics
, plastics, Ransom & Randolph - investment casting materials
, Rinn - x-ray accessories/Crescent, Trubyte - removable full dentures
Tulsa - endodontics
and implants, Austenal - removable partial dentures, Caulk - restoratives/impression materials, Ceramco - crown and bridge, Friadent Ceramed - implants and grafting, GAC - orthodontics, Glenroe - orthodontics, Maillefer - endodontics, Astra Tech AB - Dental implants and surgical products
Dental consumable products (33% of sales in '09) refers to such products as dental sundries (more than 100 brand names market sundries), dental anesthetics, prophylaxis paste, restorative materials, dental sealants, tooth whiteners, and topical fluoride, basically things that need to be replaced regularly. This segment also includes hand equipment like polishers and light systems.
Dental laboratory products (23% of sales in '09) includes dental prosthetics, including artificial teeth, precious metal dental alloys, dental ceramics, and crown and bridge materials and equipment like computer aided machining systems
.
Dental specialty products (41% of sales in '09) consists of endodontic instruments and materials, implants and related products, bone grafting materials, 3D digital implantology (the marketing and distribution of which was enhanced in 2009 with the acquisition of a company in that business) , and orthodontic appliances and accessories.
These products are marketed under a number of brand names including ankylos®, aquasil(TM), aquasil ultra(TM), biopure(TM), caulk®, cavitron®, ceramco®, cercon®, citanest®, delton®, dentsply®, detrey®, elephant®, esthet.x®, friadent®, frialit®, gac orthoworks(TM), golden gate®, in-ovation(TM), interactive mystique(TM), maillefer®, midwest®, nupro®, oraqix®, pepgen P-15(TM), polocaine®, prime & bond®, profile®, protaper(TM), rinn®, r&r®, sani-tip®, seal&protect(TM), shadepilot(TM), thermafil®, trubyte®, xeno® and xylocaine®.
As an equipment maker it designs and manufactures laboratory and specialty products relating to dental supplies. With regards to consumable products it specializes in anesthetics, plaque and gum disease
Dental caries
Dental caries, also known as tooth decay or a cavity, is an irreversible infection usually bacterial in origin that causes demineralization of the hard tissues and destruction of the organic matter of the tooth, usually by production of acid by hydrolysis of the food debris accumulated on the...
prevention (prophylaxis) and tooth polishers; It also designs and constructs artificial teeth. Because of the income disparity between wealthy and developing nations the variety of products in demand differs from region to region (and thus subsidiary to subsidiary since many of them are regional). In 2010 the most important markets for sales were Europe & CIS (40%), USA (37%), Latin America (5%), Asia (excl CIS and Japan, 5%), Canada 4%, Japan (4%), Middle East & Africa (3%) and Australia (2%). The largest market that Dentsply holds a leading market share in is the dental restorative sector ($4.0 billion according to the company).
History
The company which made use of the Dentsply name goes back to an artificial teeth and dental consumable products manufacturer and distributor founded by 4 New York businessmen in 1899. However, the present company is largely the result of a merger in 1993 in which Gendex Corporation acquired Dentsply International Inc. for $590 million. Gendex's dental x-ray equipment business which complemented Dentsply's was founded in 1983.Dentsply was originally incorporated in 1899 as Dentists' Supply Company about the same time it made its first acquisition, a Pennsylvania porcelain teeth manufacturer. One of the 4 founders, George H. Whiteley became the main operator of the company as a result of his experience as a ceramist. Whiteley's contributions to the company were invaluable as he was responsible for many innovations such as a patented process involving platinum rings that reduced tooth breakage. Other innovations (credited to doctors like James Williams who were hired by the company for research purposes) included better fitting dentures, tooth size for people of different face shapes and age specific colored teeth.
In the early 1920s the company selected European distributor E.de Trey & Sons as its primary marketer to Europe however it quickly became the company's main distributor in the US also. A rivalry between De Trey and the main other denture equipment producer at the time Ash company nearly eliminated cash flows due to extreme price cutting. The problem was resolved when the two decided to merge their distribution businesses into one named the Amalgamated Dental Company Limited. In 1925 45% of Zahnfabrik (artificial teeth producer) was bought by Dentists' Supply and its distributor Amalgamated Dental bought a 30% interest in the manufacturer.
High American tariffs and increased efforts to gain market share abroad especially in Europe and Australia led the company to set up more research and manufacturing centers abroad. Its first foreign subsidiary was established in Australia as a means to acquire Natudryl Manufacturing. In the 1950s and 1960s the company developed many of the ideas used by its equipment today like tooth cleaning machine Dentsply Cavitron and Neolux which improved the finish of plastic teeth. The company renamed itself Dentsply International in 1969 due to its products' brand name being more widely recognized.
Key acquisitions by Dentists' Supply Company: LD Caulk Company in 1963, Ransom and Randolph Company in 1964, F&F Koenigkramer Company (chairs and stools). Largest was Amalgamated Dental Industrial (former distributor that played a major role in helping the company grow early on that also controlled Australia's largest dental supply chain) in 1976.
In 1993 after it acquired Gendex Corp in a reverse takeover it went public on the Nasdaq. The new company then purchased medical x-ray tubes supplier Eureka X-Ray Inc. which was key since Gendex was a major manufacturer of x-ray systems (Eureka X-Ray was later sold in 1994).
Healthco its main distributor in the US went bankcrupt in 1993.
In June 2011 Dentsply acquired Astra Tech, the world's third largest maker of dental implants from British pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca plc is a global pharmaceutical and biologics company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the world's seventh-largest pharmaceutical company measured by revenues and has operations in over 100 countries...
for $1.8 billion. The deal raises revenue by 25% ($535M) and was completed on August 31, 2011.
Divisions
Many divisions are regional in terms of their base and the market they serve (Most in Asia are named after the country they serve) while others are focussed on a specific product (Ceramco deals in prosthetics, Maillefer in endodontics). The divisions and subsidiaries sell their products through regionally focused distribution companies as well as dentists and dental schools.Regional
Dentsply; Africa, Middle East, Asia, South Africa, North America, Canada, Mexico, South America, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Australia
Asia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Philippines, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam, France, Italia, Maillefer, Nordics, Poland, Portugal
Russia (CIS), Spain, Switzerland/Austria, United Kingdom, Czech Republic, Benelux
Product specific
Dentsply; Friadent, Pharmaceutical - anesthetics, Professional - preventive, handpieces & burs, Prosthetics - lab products, Raintree Essix - orthodontics
Orthodontics
Orthodontics, orthodontia, or orthodonture is the first specialty of dentistry that is concerned with the study and treatment of malocclusions , which may be a result of tooth irregularity, disproportionate jaw relationships, or both...
, plastics, Ransom & Randolph - investment casting materials
Investment casting
Investment casting is an industrial process based on and also called lost-wax casting, one of the oldest known metal-forming techniques. From 5,000 years ago, when beeswax formed the pattern, to today’s high-technology waxes, refractory materials and specialist alloys, the castings allow the...
, Rinn - x-ray accessories/Crescent, Trubyte - removable full dentures
Tulsa - endodontics
Endodontics
Endodontics is one of the dental specialties recognized by the American Dental Association, Royal College of Dentists of Canada, and Royal Australasian College of Dental Surgeons, and deals with the tooth pulp and the tissues surrounding the root of a tooth...
and implants, Austenal - removable partial dentures, Caulk - restoratives/impression materials, Ceramco - crown and bridge, Friadent Ceramed - implants and grafting, GAC - orthodontics, Glenroe - orthodontics, Maillefer - endodontics, Astra Tech AB - Dental implants and surgical products
Products
Products comprise 3 general groups; dental consumables, dental laboratory products and dental specialty products. In addition the company receives about 2 to 3% of its revenue from the sale of non dental products.Dental consumable products (33% of sales in '09) refers to such products as dental sundries (more than 100 brand names market sundries), dental anesthetics, prophylaxis paste, restorative materials, dental sealants, tooth whiteners, and topical fluoride, basically things that need to be replaced regularly. This segment also includes hand equipment like polishers and light systems.
Dental laboratory products (23% of sales in '09) includes dental prosthetics, including artificial teeth, precious metal dental alloys, dental ceramics, and crown and bridge materials and equipment like computer aided machining systems
Computer-aided manufacturing
Computer-aided manufacturing is the use of computer software to control machine tools and related machinery in the manufacturing of workpieces. This is not the only definition for CAM, but it is the most common; CAM may also refer to the use of a computer to assist in all operations of a...
.
Dental specialty products (41% of sales in '09) consists of endodontic instruments and materials, implants and related products, bone grafting materials, 3D digital implantology (the marketing and distribution of which was enhanced in 2009 with the acquisition of a company in that business) , and orthodontic appliances and accessories.
These products are marketed under a number of brand names including ankylos®, aquasil(TM), aquasil ultra(TM), biopure(TM), caulk®, cavitron®, ceramco®, cercon®, citanest®, delton®, dentsply®, detrey®, elephant®, esthet.x®, friadent®, frialit®, gac orthoworks(TM), golden gate®, in-ovation(TM), interactive mystique(TM), maillefer®, midwest®, nupro®, oraqix®, pepgen P-15(TM), polocaine®, prime & bond®, profile®, protaper(TM), rinn®, r&r®, sani-tip®, seal&protect(TM), shadepilot(TM), thermafil®, trubyte®, xeno® and xylocaine®.