“Clinicians want to have confidence in placing implants”

Jeremy Booth, Dental Tribune International

Thu. 12. December 2024

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In September, Dentsply Sirona hosted over 1,500 clinicians at its MIS Global Conference in Palma de Mallorca in Spain. Besides top-tier scientific content, the event focused on educational opportunities and included a tantalising preview of a forthcoming, all-new MIS dental implant system.* At the meeting, Tony Susino, group vice president of global implant and prosthetic solutions at Dentsply Sirona, explained that the companies’ broad approach supports building community and confidence among implant dentists.

Mr Susino, what does the MIS Global Conference tell us about the company’s priorities?
The broad reach of people in attendance is significant. MIS has not had an event like this since before the pandemic, so that more than 1,500 people from 55 countries have converged on Palma to learn about MIS is a testament to the belief in its systems. As I told attendees in my presentation, we will continue to invest in peer-to-peer learning and clinical education to support the safe and effective use of our products, helping clinicians to support their patients. What is also evident at the conference is our prioritisation of research and development and continuing innovation. MIS’s innovation pipeline is very strong, and this is something that attendees have seen first-hand.

Yes, attendees were excited to be the very first to hear about a brand-new implant. What can you tell us about it?
Participants received a sneak peek at a product that is under review by the US Food and Drug Administration and pending 510(k) clearance in the US and regulatory clearance in other markets. I won’t share all the details, but I will say that participants were thrilled with the design of the implant, its surface, connection and digital connectivity. It presents an incremental improvement on previous MIS innovations. This is a high-quality implant at a value price point and will therefore interest a wide range of clinicians.

Tony Susino speaking at the MIS Global Congress in Palma de Mallorca in September.

How do value implant solutions fit into the broader strategy of MIS?
For the first time in history, we are seeing the value segment exceeding the premium segment globally, in terms of both volume and revenue. The value segment is both broad-reaching and expanding. At the same time, the premium segment is contracting slightly and certainly has fewer competitors than in the past. We have also seen subcategories emerge within the value segment, including premium light or value plus, challenger and even a discount segment. Globally, MIS can compete in each of these, including in geographies where price and high-volume purchases are very important. We therefore feel that we have a solution for all subcategories of the value segment to reach clinicians at their point of need, and we believe that we are extremely well positioned with our MIS solution.

What are new developments in regenerative products and tissue engineering at Dentsply Sirona?
We expanded our regenerative portfolio last year with the addition of OSSIX Agile, which has been very well received. The research and development pipeline for our regenerative platform remains robust, and we have several promising developments currently in the planning stage. We also have a portfolio of bone regeneration solutions called Symbios. That product line has recently been recalibrated for the US market, and we have also received good feedback on it.

The packed auditorium showed how interested clinicians are in developments concerning regenerative and related products. How do these innovations fit into the wider strategy at MIS and Dentsply Sirona?
There was a very interesting session at the congress concerning grafting and bone regeneration, as well as peri-implantitis, which remains the number one problem in implant dentistry. Mitigating the risk of peri-implantitis, peri-implant mucositis and periodontitis is a real focus of our innovation pipeline, intra-oral health being the first of our four I’s of innovation priorities. The other three are interconnectivity, intuitiveness and immediacy.

“The vital importance of building a community is clear.”

What does this event say about the value of clinical education and community-building at MIS and Dentsply Sirona?
Events like this play a role in community-building and peer-to-peer clinical education; community-building and camaraderie are tantamount to building confidence. Clinicians want to have confidence in placing implants and in their therapies and the products that they use so that they can have the peace of mind of knowing they have provided excellent patient care. Learning and networking with like-minded dental professionals facing the same challenges helps the clinician build confidence and ultimately improve patient care. The vital importance of building a community is clear. Consider what happens when these clinicians go back to their practices after a big global event like this one. We want to make sure that these clinicians maintain this feeling of confidence, and we support this through study clubs and online learning, for example.

How can clinicians participate in clinical education through Dentsply Sirona?
Clinicians can take up the offering at Dentsply Sirona Academy, and we have 57 educational centres in 35 countries all over the world that enable us to teach and train dental professionals locally and regionally on the safe and effective use of our products. We also host clinicians in large groups at our DS World events, where we showcase our products and clinical education and foster peer-to-peer communities among clinicians. DS World events are taking place all over the world in the fourth quarter, all featuring the latest and greatest new products, including Primescan 2 and DS Core: Las Vegas in the US, Riccione in Italy, Madrid in Spain, Tokyo in Japan and São Paulo in Brazil.

There have been lot of new developments recently at Dentsply Sirona. Could you summarise these for our readers?
Yes, these include celebrating more than a century of innovation and our commitment to improving oral health and confidence in care by ringing the Nasdaq bell in September, launching Primescan 2, the first cloud-native intra-oral scanning solution, hosting the very-well-attended 2024 MIS Global Conference and organising our very first DS World in the Asia-Pacific and Latin America regions this year. Collectively, these developments are compelling evidence that DS is gaining momentum.

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