Henry Schein, ADA to unveil "Tomorrow's Dental Office - Today!"

July 29, 2004
The two have combined the strengths of their organizations to create an exciting mobile exhibit of a fully functional, technology-driven dental office that revolutionizes all aspects of a modern dental practice.

Dentists will soon experience the future of their profession due to a groundbreaking partnership designed to propel dentistry forward; "Tomorrow's Dental Office - Today!" Henry Schein, Inc., and the American Dental Association (ADA) have combined the strengths of their organizations to create an exciting mobile exhibit of a fully functional, technology-driven dental office that revolutionizes all aspects of a modern dental practice - from hygiene, diagnostics and treatment to patient education, billing and claims processing. Dentists will catch their first glimpse of the future when "Tomorrow's Dental Office - Today!" opens its doors at the ADA Annual Session in Orlando, Florida, on October 1.

The exhibit, which will travel to additional U.S. cities during 2004 and 2005, is just one part of a dynamic program to help educate the professional dental team, increase dental practice productivity and improve patient care and clinical outcomes. The educational program also includes an editorial supplement to The Journal of the American Dental Association covering several major issues and opportunities for integrating technology into the dental practice, as well as continuing education credit, which will be published in September. In addition, Henry Schein will create an educational buyer's guide of leading manufacturing partners' products featured throughout the exhibit that will help dentists determine which technology products are best suited to meet their individual practice needs.

Pictured in the photo (courtesy of the ADA News, copyright 2004 American Dental Association): Pictured: Dr. James B. Bramson (seated, left), ADA executive director; Brian S. Watson, senior vice president of Sullivan-Schein. (standing from left to right) Dr. Don Collins, ADA; Julie Ris, ADA; Brian Peterson, Dentrix Dental Systems; Laura Kosden, ADA; Bob Owens, ADA; Mary Logan, ADA; Andy Jensen, Dentrix Dental Systems; Clay Mickel, ADA; Lamon Elrod, Sullivan-Schein; Steve Kess, Sullivan-Schein; Don Hobbs, Sullivan-Schein.

"We are very pleased to partner with the ADA on this exciting initiative, which underscores Henry Schein's commitment to helping practitioners increase their practice productivity while at the same time delivering the highest level of quality patient care," said Stanley Bergman, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Henry Schein. "The exhibit will demonstrate how technology can revolutionize a dental practice by assessing a practice's needs and providing strategic solutions that are designed to improve patient care and practice efficiency. Through our presence at prominent dental meetings around the country each year, we hope to bring first-hand exposure of today's technology to the dental community at large."

"We are delighted to provide our membership with an interactive educational program that can bring so much value to their practice," said ADA President Eugene Sekiguchi, DDS. "We look forward to demonstrating how integrating technology and software into a practice can improve everything from patient records and scheduling to case presentation, clinical outcomes, financial and cash flow management, as well as patient diagnosis and education."

"Tomorrow's Dental Office - Today!" is an interactive, educational experience for dentists that focuses on self-assessment and technology planning for their own practices. At the exhibit, a dentist can see how integrated technology works in a real operatory, obtain materials explaining the technology, and conduct a computerized assessment of their practice either online or with the aid of an ADA or Henry Schein Team Member. At the end of the process, visitors can determine where they are on the road to achieving enhanced technology in their practice, and next steps to be considered. In addition the ADA is offering lectures on various aspects of the exhibit that carry continuing education credit for attendees.

"The importance of incorporating the latest technology into a dental practice is valuable not only from a clinical standpoint, but also from a business perspective. As small business owners, dentists without computers in their operatories may be missing potential revenue opportunities by not using digital x-ray, intraoral cameras, practice management software, or other technology that could expand their product offering, enhance practice efficiency, and above all improve patient care," said Mr. Bergman.