With the opening of your first clinics in 2003, you were the first in Switzerland to start a dental service organisation. Could you please tell us about the launch of your business?
Golnar: Yes, we were just doing what our heart told us to do without quite realising that we were building a dental service organisation. However, before that, we had run a public paediatric dental clinic. In Switzerland, these clinics are linked to primary schools for prevention, and thousands of children are treated through them, many of whom come from underserved communities and underprivileged backgrounds. As dentists and mothers, it was painful to see our patients suffering from general health issues as well as psychological issues due to poor oral health, caused by a lack of knowledge and awareness and often dental fear.

Haleh: That’s why about 20 years ago, we had the idea of launching the first fear-free chain of dental clinics with a completely new concept: open 365 days a year from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. for walk-in and with the same corporate identity and design. The clinics looked more like a spa than a dental office.

“We founded vVARDIS about three years ago, but our vision and foundational work for vVARDIS started almost 20 years ago”
— Dr Golnar Abivardi

How did you come up with the idea of founding vVARDIS?
Golnar: We founded vVARDIS about three years ago, but our vision and foundational work for vVARDIS started almost 20 years ago, treating children with poor oral health and treating homeless adults. Our goal has always been to practise preventive care rather than restorative dentistry.

Haleh: This is also the reason that, in addition to our clinics, we ran our own dental hygienist school with its own research centre, at which we conducted clinical studies. Over ten years ago, we stumbled on the revolutionary technology of Curodont Repair, a pain-free, non-invasive treatment for early caries without the need for anaesthesia or drilling that does not stain or have a bad taste.

Which advantages are there for dentists in adding vVARDIS products to their care repertoire?
Haleh: About 85% of the patients have initial lesions, and only 5% of them receive treatment. In the past, we had no way of treating small lesions without removing a lot of healthy hard tissue. As a dentist, I remember always being in a dilemma, knowing that if the patient didn’t come back or came back too late, not only could he or she lose the tooth, but severe disease could result.

Golnar: The conventional approach to treating early carious lesions is either drilling or monitoring. With Curodont Repair, dental professionals now have another option for remineralising the lesions without removing healthy dental tissue. The treatment per lesion takes about 5 minutes, saving the dentist chair time and enabling him or her to concentrate on treatments that are more challenging. Even the dental hygienist can treat the patient, which increases productivity.

What is the next step for vVARDIS?
Golnar: Some populations have only limited or no access to dental care. A product like Curodont Repair that is easy to use could be made available for underserved communities.

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