Dentsply Sirona

www.dentsplysirona.com

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Jeremy Booth, Dental Tribune International

Thu. 7. May 2026

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In Bonn, the first Dentsply Sirona World Germany brought together dental professionals to explore the growing role of connected digital technologies in clinics and laboratories. On the sidelines of the event, Dental Tribune International sat down with Dentsply Sirona CEO, Daniel Scavilla. Drawing on a career spanning more than 30 years in medical technology and pharmaceuticals, Scavilla is applying fresh thinking to dentistry at a time of rapid digital transformation.

Mr Scavilla, what is Dentsply Sirona doing to help laboratory owners to increase efficiency and growth?
Laboratories are a priority for us—full stop. I’m personally establishing a council of laboratory owners who will work directly with me, because I believe the best way to understand the workflows and collaboration between dentists and laboratories is to hear it from the people living it every day. That insight will shape how we support them as part of connected dentistry.

We’re also restructuring our sales approach—in the US first, and across Europe as well—to dedicate more representatives specifically to the laboratory business. Our goal is to build closer relationships and make laboratory owners genuine partners in what we’re building.

“Connected dentistry” is a term that describes new levels of collaboration in oral care. From your perspective, does it represent a fundamental shift in how dental care is delivered?
Absolutely! I like to refer to it as the inevitable future. The analogy I keep coming back to is the smartphone: there was a time you didn’t need one, and now you can’t imagine operating without it. Dentistry is on the same trajectory.

As connected dentistry continues to evolve, it won’t feel like a new way of working. It’ll simply feel like the way of working. When dentists can transfer and analyse complex data seamlessly, apply artificial intelligence in diagnostics and collaborate closer with patients, the result is a more efficient practice and, more importantly, better patient outcomes.

From our conversations with customers, we know connected dentistry is where the industry is going. We know it’s what our customers want. The question is how quickly practices can get there.

Increasingly, clinicians are under pressure to balance financial performance with quality of care. How can investment in advanced technologies support them?
These technologies can support clinicians in more ways than most people realise. Take something basic—the ability to plan treatment and send data seamlessly. That alone frees up office staff and creates immediate workflow benefits. When we add technologies that support single-visit dentistry, the result is increased patient throughput. Add better diagnostic tools that help clinicians engage and educate patients, and treatment acceptance rates climb, which drives growth and delivers better outcomes.

Efficiency, throughput, treatment acceptance—connected dentistry improves all three. However, the common thread here is quality of care. These benefits only materialise if the underlying products are outstanding. They have to deliver. We’re confident that ours do, which means clinicians who haven’t fully made the leap to digital still have a lot of advantages ahead of them.

“The first priority is getting the US business back to a strong position.”

Based on your over 30 years of experience in the medical technology and pharmaceutical industries, do you see untapped potential in dental technologies to improve global oral health?
Yes, and I’d say the opportunity is larger than the industry currently appreciates. The oral-systemic health connection is recognised, but there’s far more to learn and far more to act on. Having spent some serious time in medtech and pharma, I see clearly how much of what those industries have pioneered applies directly to dentistry.

That’s a deliberate part of how I’ve built the team at Dentsply Sirona—bringing in people from the medical device world who know how to develop and commercialise complex technologies. Pair that with the dental experience already embedded in our leadership, and you have a cross-industry perspective that I think is genuinely rare in dentistry. That combination is where the opportunity lies.

As you approach the milestone of one year in the CEO role, what organisational or cultural changes are you implementing?
My first statement as CEO was about as simple as it gets: the customer has to be at the centre of all we do. I said it because I’ve seen what happens when a company turns too far inward—when internal processes start to crowd out the customer’s perspective. We had some of that, and I wanted to name it directly.

The cultural change I’m most focused on is getting this entire organisation to see things from the dentist’s perspective. We must look at the workflow through the dentist’s eyes, not occasionally, but instinctively. I know that a change like this takes time, but I’m not patient, and this can’t wait.

Part of how I’m pushing this is by example. For instance, a customer in Hawaii was having trouble getting something resolved with one of our local partners. He reached out to me directly and it was fixed the next day. I tell that story because it captures what I want this company to be: fast, accountable and genuinely responsive. That’s how you earn the right to lead—not by saying it, but by doing it, consistently, at every level.

What are the key strategic priorities for Dentsply Sirona this year?
The first priority is getting the US business back to a strong position. That may sound straightforward, but the logic behind it is important: if the US business isn’t healthy, our international business can’t fully thrive either. It’s the foundation. Addressing it requires a global solution, including a transformation of how we run our commercial operations.

From there, the second priority is strengthening our implant strategy, and the third is accelerating our orthodontics business. These aren’t short-term fixes, and all three will extend beyond 2026.

Running alongside all of this is an organisational re-engineering effort. We’ve become too complex, and we need a stronger frontline sales presence. So, what we’re building toward this year is a structural reset of the US business—one that frees up the capacity to invest in commercial growth, clinical education and innovation. Set the foundation right and the rest follows.

“If you’re going to put customers at the centre, they should have a seat at the table with you.”

These efforts include a sharpened focus on customer-centricity. We have heard about initiatives such as establishing strategic key opinion leader advisory boards and deepening engagement with dentists. What more can you tell us about these activities?
If you’re going to put customers at the centre, they should have a seat at the table with you. As a CEO, you have to be honest with yourself about how information reaches you. A lot gets filtered along the way. That’s why I place real value on being directly connected to dentists in their offices, around the table, and having unscripted, honest conversations. We’re building dedicated advisory teams for both implant dentistry and orthodontics to make sure those connections are consistent and go deep.

One of the places this matters most is R&D. I want practicing dentists involved in product development—not just key opinion leaders, but a wide range of clinicians whose experience reflects what dentistry actually looks like day to day. Getting their feedback at the right stages is how we ensure the products we build are the products they actually need. Dentists should be—and will be—an integral part of our design process.

What are Dentsply Sirona’s plans for its online clinical education offering?
The demand is there and I want to meet it even more aggressively. We’re investing 50% more into our peer-to-peer program this year, and my intention is to do the same in 2027. This will be online and local—both matter and we’re committed to both.

The initial focus will be implants and orthodontics, because that’s where the urgency is. But this isn’t a narrow initiative, and it will ultimately span our full portfolio. If we’re asking dentists to trust our products, we have an obligation to support their education relating to them.

In light of the recent appointment of three seasoned financial leaders to the Dentsply Sirona board, how is the evolving composition of the company’s governance influencing strategic oversight?
We’ve been intentional about board refreshment, and these three appointments reflect that. Don Zurbay is the former CEO of Patterson Companies, one of the largest dealers in the US—and given how much emphasis we’re placing on strengthening dealer relationships in capital equipment, particularly here in the US, his perspective and experience will be invaluable. There’s a great deal I can learn from Don, and that knowledge will directly shape our dealer strategy.

Jim Forbes brings deep investment banking experience, and having him on the board is a significant opportunity to financially reengineer the company and rethink how we allocate capital. I’m a former finance guy myself, so I understand the value of what Jim brings, both in terms of experience and relationships.

We’ve also welcomed Brian McKeon, an exceptional strategic thinker—exactly the kind of mind we need around the table as we navigate this period of change.

So, 2026 is a year of significant tactical moves. What I want from this board, and from our leadership team, is the discipline to keep thinking strategically even while executing. These three directors will help ensure that when we come through this period, we’re pointed in exactly the right direction.