Sybron Dental Specialties, Inc. Wins Top Awards At Dental Industry Awards Banquet

Sybron Dental Specialties, Inc. (NYSE: SYD - news) announced today that its Kerr Corporation subsidiary received multiple awards at the 2002 Reality Publishing awards banquet, including the awards for Product of the Year and Most Innovative New Product of the Year. Reality Publishing is the leading authority on products for the dental community, and brings together leading clinicians and researchers around the world to evaluate products for the dental community and recommend the top performing products.
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The 2002 Reality Publishing awards won by Kerr include:

-- Product of the Year: Demetron 501 curing light, the most powerful and versatile high output light used for curing composites. This is the second year in a row in which the Demetron 501 has won the top prize.

-- Most Innovative New Product of the Year: Expa-Syl, a paste used for gingival retraction, which was developed by Satelec Pierre Rolland, a France based manufacturer of dental products, and is distributed exclusively by Kerr in North America.

Three Kerr products also received the Reality 5-star award (the highest ranking): OptiBond Solo Plus, a liquid bonding agent; the Demetron Radiometer, a device for measuring the output of curing lights; and the previously mentioned Demetron 501 curing light.

In addition, Kerr received awards for garnering the most 5-star product rankings and the most products named as Reality's Choices of Products (for highly rated products).

``Recognition of this magnitude is unprecedented in the dental industry and is a tribute to the dedicated efforts of our research and development team,'' said Ed Shellard, Vice President, Research and Development/Clinical Affairs for Kerr Corporation. ``We pride ourselves on our ability to consistently bring innovative, high value products to market that fill the needs of dental practitioners and enhance the comfort of their patients, and this is certainly evidence of our success in that regard. We also must recognize the invaluable contribution of clinicians around the world who participate in product trials and roundtable meetings as part of our research and development program. Without their feedback and support, our R&D program would not reach the unparalleled level of success that it has.''

``We remain committed to extending our position as the leading innovator in the dental industry,'' said Mike Etheridge, Vice President of Marketing for Kerr Corporation. ``We have a number of new product releases in the impression material, adhesive, and restorative areas coming this year that we believe will be well received by our markets.''