Dental Wings, 3M ESPE And Straumann Join Forces

Cologne, Germany, 22 March 2011: At Europe’s largest dental trade fair, the
International Dental Show, three companies, Dental Wings, 3M ESPE and Straumann
today announced that they are joining forces to create an open global standard
software platform for use across a range of dental applications. The initiative is
expected to offer enhanced flexibility, simplicity, and convenience for users, while
saving time, costs and investment risk. The need for standardization in digital dentistry
is acute as the number of different systems and software platforms has risen
considerably, adding complexity and confusion for dentists and dental laboratories.
Standardized software is expected to be a main driver of the digital market.
To advance industry standardization, 3M ESPE and Straumann have agreed to adopt
Dental Wings’ software platform DWOS as the core operating software in their
CADCAM solutions. The combined resources of several partners can be expected to
achieve significantly more than those of a stand-alone provider. This initiative thus has
excellent prospects for establishing the leading software platform in the field.
Thanks to its focused specialist team, Dental Wings has established itself as a leading
developer of dental software. 3M ESPE and Straumann add strong expertise and
leadership in their fields including digital solutions. The combination of resources will
accelerate the development of DWOS into a best-in-class, preferred system. Both 3M
ESPE and Straumann will continue to build their own specific applications on top of the
core software adding value for their customers. Other companies are encouraged to
join the collaboration and to contribute to shaping the platform’s future. Straumann, 3M
and Dental Wings all support the initiative to extend the Dicom standard1 to the
prosthetics value chain.
The preferred software platform
The scope, quality, and functionality of the DWOS platform provide a solution of choice
for communication, design and collaboration within dentistry. DWOS is commercially
available as an open system and offers dental laboratories the flexibility of designing
prosthetics using data from multiple systems and sources, for instance in-lab model
scans, chairside intra-oral scans, and impression scans received directly from dental
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practices. The restorations can be manufactured in-house or outsourced to an
increasing number of production centers. The DWOS platform is strongly positioned to
become the leading open software platform of choice, bridging clinicians with
manufacturers.
Dental Wings to form a separate dedicated software entity
Established in 2007, Dental Wings is a leading provider of dental CADCAM solutions
and is specialized in the development of design and manufacturing software dedicated
to different dental market segments. The company, which is privately owned, also
develops, manufactures and sells 3D scanners to the dental industry. It is
headquartered in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
In order to focus its businesses, Dental Wings has decided to transform its scanner and
software businesses as two separate entities. The software business will operate under
a new company brand, ‘Open Digital Dentistry’, which will develop and market DWOS
and concentrate on dental software development.
Naoum Araj, President of Dental Wings, commented: "Without leveling the playing
field through standardization, the challenge of developing new process work-flows will
be impossible – so we are very excited by this opportunity to create a standard for
dental design with two of the dental industry’s leading companies. Creating a standard
will reduce the confusion caused by incompatible systems and will drive growth in
digital dentistry.
Dental professionals should no longer be locked into specific scanning or
manufacturing systems and we believe that a common platform will revolutionize the
dental industry. Our goal is to provide broad access to the most innovative
technologies including scanners, materials and design / manufacturing services. That is
why Dental Wings is committed to making DWOS an open and collaborative software
platform that offers flexibility and ensures fit.
In order to expand DWOS to cover most dental applications, we have decided to create
a new independent entity dedicated to, and focused on, dental software. This will be
located in Switzerland."
3M ESPE
3M ESPE is a pioneer in dentistry, bringing trusted brands to clinicians worldwide for
half a century. The company manufactures and markets more than 2000 products and
services designed to help dental professionals improve their patients’ oral health care.
3M ESPE is also a pioneer and leader in digital dentistry — processing millions of
successful digitally constructed restorations via the Lava Network for the last ten years.
3M Health Care‚ one of 3M’s six major business segments‚ provides world-class
innovative products and services to help health care professionals improve the practice
and delivery of patient care in medical‚ oral care‚ drug delivery and health information
markets.
Larry Lair, President and General Manager of 3M ESPE, commented: "We believe
the collaboration of industry leaders is needed to support an open software standard.
3M ESPE is pleased to join forces with Straumann and Dental Wings to establish the
global software standard for digital dental design. 3M ESPE is one of the pioneers of
digital dentistry, bringing over 10 years of experience in delivering precise productive
solutions to dental laboratories as well as high quality, trusted restorations and
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materials to clinicians. Combining this experience with strong partners like Straumann
and Dental Wings will enable us to deliver high quality precise workflows from a single
open platform – eliminating the need for technicians to learn multiple systems."
Straumann
Headquartered in Basel, Switzerland, the Straumann Group is a global leader in
implant and restorative dentistry and oral tissue regeneration. In collaboration with
leading clinics, research institutes and universities, Straumann researches, develops
and manufactures dental implants, instruments, prosthetics and tissue regeneration
products for use in tooth replacement and restoration solutions or to prevent tooth loss.
Straumann products and services are available in more than 70 countries through its
broad network of distribution subsidiaries and partners.
Straumann entered the field of digital dentistry in 2007, though the acquisition of etkon
AG. The Group moved into computer guided surgery and intra-oral scanning in 2009. It
manufactures CADCAM scanners and design software – in addition to being the world
leader in implant dentistry. In 2010, the company accelerated its push into digital
dentistry through the in-house development and launch of the completely new
Straumann CARES CADCAM system.
Beat Spalinger, President & CEO of Straumann, commented: "Customers want
functional standardized software that connects them to multiple data sources. At the
same time, they want maximum flexibility and full assurance of predictability, quality
and reliability. The initiative we are announcing today enables us to fulfill those
requirements. The concept of our partnership will enable us to offer the advantages of
a standard open system in combination with additional differentiated Straumann
applications. These add value for customers. They also provide seamless connectivity
throughout the workflow and ensure full Straumann quality."
Digitalization: shaping the future
Digital technologies are becoming increasingly widespread in dentistry and cover a
broad spectrum of applications – from general practice-management to treatment
planning, imaging, guided surgery, digital impression-taking, right through to computeraided
prosthetic design and manufacture. Digital technology offers tremendous
advantages: it adds flexibility, convenience and precision in addition to saving time and
costs. However, the industry is fragmented and few systems offer broad connectivity.
There is therefore a compelling need for simplification through standardization.
Combined resources to drive development
Software requirements will increase with the development of new integrated functions.
However, development funding is limited and inefficient because it is channeled by
competing companies to multiple, individual, closed systems, most of which serve the
same purpose. The combined resources of several partners can be expected to
achieve more than those of stand-alone providers. In view of this, DWOS has excellent
prospects for becoming the leading software platform in the field.
Benefits for customers
The general adoption of standardized software that meets present and future
challenges is expected to offer a number of benefits to dental professionals, particularly
laboratories – for instance, the possibility of using a common platform and working with
different companies and brands. In addition to enhanced simplicity, flexibility and
convenience, a standard platform would also save time in addition to reducing training
and investment risk.
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Availability
Dental Wings scanners already feature the DWOS software platform. 3M ESPE is
launching its upgrade for the Lava Scan ST Design system at the IDS. Lava Design 7
is based on DWOS. Both the 3M ESPE Lava Chairside Oral Scanner and the iTero®
intraoral scanning system supplied by Straumann can already be used with DWOS.
Straumann’s pre-operative planning software is already connected to DWOS, while the
company’s CARES CADCAM system is currently being adapted to incorporate it.