Dear Readers,

changes in dentistry are a frequently discussed topic that

is most often associated with technological advancement.

However, there is another development which is currently

transforming the face of the dental profession: in many

Western European and American countries, an increasing

proportion of women are studying dentistry and becoming

dental practitioners. While in Eastern Europe, dentistry

has always been dominated by females, this situation is

new to many institutions and companies in the West and

requires a rethinking of the current structures.

In this issue of the Espertise Magazine, we will explore the

different roles of women working within dentistry, e.g. in

business, at universities or in private practice. In addition,

the outcome of their work will be discussed in detail,

describing business career paths, presenting novel mate-

rials and providing examples of clinical excellence. Fur-

thermore, we will touch the rising importance of the inter-

net inside and outside dentistry. Last but not least, a new

series of articles is started to shed light into the varying

conditions dentists of different countries are confronted

with, this time reported by two female dentists from the

United Kingdom and Russia.

Enjoy reading!

Gerhard Kultermann, Editor

3M ESPE, Seefeld, Germany

E D I T O R I A LInsights into the past and present ............................................................2

Female students taking over in Germany ................................................3

The customer's advocate .........................................................................4

A bonding duel taking place in Nuremberg ..............................................6

A novel flowable composite material in clinical use ................................8

"As often as necessary, as safe as possible" ..........................................9

A challenging project mastered by a strong team .................................10

Following the American example ...........................................................12

Personality counts! .................................................................................14

Dentistry in the United Kingdom ............................................................16

Dentistry in the Russian Federation .......................................................17

Web 2.0: Welcome to endless opportunities! ........................................18

magazine No. 18 | OCT 2010

Espertise™

C O N T E N T

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No. 18 | October 2010

Insights into the past and presentGerhard Kultermann, 3M ESPE, Seefeld, Germany

Women in dentistry

Dental treatment has a long history and has

developed differently in diverse parts of the

world. In ancient times, women already played

a role in dentistry, as reported e.g. in the Tal-

mud, a central text of mainstream Judaism,

and found in Greek and Roman writings as well

as sculptures. In the Middle Ages, women

were often excluded from practicing medicine

or dentistry and were even sentenced to death

if they violated against the regulations. How-

ever, a pioneer of this time was Hildegard von

Bingen (1099-1179), who had acquired broad

knowledge of medical sciences including den-

tistry, which is summarized in her book “Liber

Simplicis Medicinae”. Until the 18th century,

women served dentistry mainly as assistants.

Early times and professionali-zation

During professionalization of dentistry in many

parts of the world, the participation of women as

dentists was limited by law and practice. Never-

theless, women found their own ways of entering

the dental profession, so that e.g. in the United

Kingdom and France, there are reports of female

dentists dating back to the 18th century. While

these few women typically received practical train-

ing but no academic education, the first opportuni-

ties for women to obtain a dental degree were

opened in the United States (US) towards the end

of the 19th century. Lucy Hobbs Taylor was, after

a long struggle, accepted as a dental student at

the Ohio College of Dental Surgery and was the

first certified woman dentist to obtain a DDS

degree in 1866. Since schools abroad were the

only option for women to be offered academic den-

tal education, European women started to migrate

to the US. The first foreign female student – Hen-

riette Hirschfeld from Berlin, Germany – graduated

from the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery in

1869. Being the country with the most advanced

opportunities for women in dentistry, in 1892, the

first society for female dentists (later: Women’s

Dental Association) was founded in the US. By the

turn of the century, European universities opened

up for female students as well.

Contrasting developments

While the proportion of women practicing den-

tistry remained low in the US and many Western

European countries during the first half of the

20th century, communist countries adopted a

totally different approach. Here, women and

men were granted equal rights very early, and

they all had the opportunity to obtain dental

education. In the Soviet Union, for example,

83% of all dentists were women already

back in 1959. Through birth control and

the increasing acceptance of the society,

the attitudes changed in the West as well. Nowa-

days, at many universities in Western Europe, the

majority of dental students are females. Conse-

quently, associations were set up and journals

launched, like the Women Dentist Journal in the US

in 2003. Also in Islamic countries like Saudi Arabia,

the number of female dentists is increasing. Here,

the first dental school started to accept female stu-

dents in 1978.

Future perspectives

Today, gender discussions in dentistry focus on

diverse topics, such as a rise in part time work, a

special interest of women in particular fields of den-

tistry, a trend towards working as employees

instead of investing in a private practice, etc. In fact,

these are issues to be dealt with, since it is expected

that in many more countries women will dominate

the profession in a few years: In the United King-

dom, for example, statistics indicate that in 2020,

more than 50% of practicing dentists will be women

(as opposed to 37% in 2007).

Throughout the Middle Ages, dentistry was dominated by men.

In many countries, female dentists will soon outnumber their male colleagues.

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Background

Female students taking over in GermanyMartina Wieland, 3M ESPE, Seefeld, Germany

Gender and university

“The most fascinating thing about my profes-

sion is its versatility,” reports Anke Wald. She

is a Research Assistant / Dentist at the Divi-

sion for Prosthetic Dentistry of the University

Hospital in Giessen, Germany. After having

completed her vocational training as a nurse

as well as one and a half years of work in this

occupation, she decided to study dentistry,

just like a currently growing number of

females. According to the Council of Euro-

pean Dentists (CED), the proportion of female

students undergoing basic dental training in

dental schools in the EU / EEA including

Croatia was 52% in 2003, compared to 60%

in 2008. The picture is changing in dental

practices all over Europe as well: in Latvia,

for example, the proportion of active female

dentists already was 88% in 2008.

Attracting women

Anke Wald sees the reason for this development in

Western Europe in the numerous different options

for young women to organize their life: “Being a

dentist is reconcilable with a family, because part

time work is generally possible. A woman can

choose between self-employment in her own office

or a joint practice and can also opt for a job as an

employee in a dental practice or at university.”

Although this trend is also observed in Giessen with

currently 55% of the students of dentistry being

female as opposed to approximately 25% several

years ago, it is striking that in leading positions,

men are still overrepresented: “Most of the research

assistants at the Division for Prosthetic Dentistry in

Giessen – 11 out of 13 – are women. However, 7

out of 8 full professors employed at the dental fac-

ulty are men. Thus, a very low proportion of women

are working in leading positions at the department,

and this situation is common in most European

countries,” says Anke Wald. “This might in part be

due to the age factor: Women who have entered

dentistry during the past years are still too young to

become a professor. I am sure their time will come.”

Neither during her study nor at the work environ-

ment at university has she got the impression that

women are treated differently from men. At the Uni-

versity of Giessen, special support is offered to

encourage career-oriented women.

Special programmes for equal opportunities

Since 2008, three different scholarship pro-

grammes are offered in order to promote equal

opportunities at the University of Giessen: the first

one supports students in the last phase before the

conferral of their doctoral degree. It specifically

aims at providing help for students who have lost

time due to their tasks within the family and want to

complete their doctorate. The second scholarship

offered is a doctoral programme for young female

researchers available for students of certain facul-

ties (including the medical faculty), while the third

one aims at supporting postdoctoral female den-

tists planning to qualify as a professor.

Social norms

“To my mind, it is neither the way women are treated

nor the difference in performance that leads to a

greater proportion of men in leading positions. I

guess that other reasons, such as a more family-

oriented behaviour of women,

might be responsible for the fact

that there are still only very few

women at the top level,” tells the

young research assistant.

Regarding her own career plans,

different options are still open.

Anke Wald lecturing ...

... and treating a patient.

Espertise™

magazine

3

Lifestyle

No. 18 | October 2010

The customer’s advocateGerhard Kultermann, 3M ESPE, Seefeld, Germany

Quality Management at 3M ESPE

Interview with Dr. Petra Schneider, Manager

Regulatory and Quality Europe, Middle East

and Africa (EMEA), 3M Health Care Busi-

nesses.

Dr. Petra Schneider, you have been employed

at ESPE Dental in Seefeld, Germany, since

1981. During the past 30 years, you have

gained experience in many different depart-

ments of the company. Throughout the last

eight years, your work focused on quality

management. Was the acquired knowledge

valuable for your current position?

It is correct that I have seen many different depart-

ments and segments of the company. ESPE

Dental was my first employer after having com-

pleted my PhD in Analytical Chemistry. Through-

out my career, I held management positions in

local anaesthetics production, pharmaceutical

analytics and global quality management and

have been head of different business teams. In

this way, I was able to acquire a broad basis of

knowledge, not only about the organization of the

company, but also about how people in different

functions think and work. I learned that their

behaviour and understanding strongly depends on

the position they are in as well as the task they

perform. For example, a marketing manager will

act differently from the head of production,

because his interest and environment is naturally

a different one. This insight was very important for

the positions I held during the past years.

Where and how did you use this knowledge?

Before becoming Manager Regulatory and Quality

at 3M and 3M ESPE in January 2010, I was Head

of Quality Management for the European part of

3M Medical and 3M ESPE. In order to implement

successful quality management, which is smoothly

integrated into every single step of product devel-

opment and manufacturing at 3M ESPE, it is

essential that all persons involved are aware of its

importance. To make this clear to them, I had to

know and speak their specific language. In addi-

tion, I was able to leverage my experience for

supervision tasks, because I have been responsi-

ble for the monitoring of different operational

processes in the company and had to make sure

that all required measures have been implemented

and all regulations met.

You said that quality management is part of

every step of product development. Please

describe.

The beginning of product development is the voice

of the customer. Results of surveys and feedback

from dentists, for example, are collected as well

as evaluated to find out what the user desires.

These demands have to be correctly translated

into technological specifications, a process that is

controlled by quality management. When the

goals have been identified, a concept is set up

and its feasibility tested. During the actual product

development, numerous quality assurance tests

and reviews are performed as a part of the quality

management process. At regular intervals, user

demands are validated to ensure that the product

in development still conforms to market needs. If

all customer expectations, regulations and stan-

dards are met, scale-up follows and the product is

ready for launch. The manufacturing, marketing

and sales processes are monitored by quality

management as well. To sum up, quality manage-

ment is the advocate of the customer, ensuring

that he or she is provided with the properties

which are really needed!

In January 2010, you have been given a new

position as Manager Regulatory and Quality

for all 3M Health Care Divisions. What was

the reason for this position to be created?

My current position was created in January

2010 with the aim of strengthening the coope-

ration between the Health Care Divisions,

Dr. Petra Schneider in conversation at work.

At 3M ESPE, a close eye is kept on every step in the development

of a product.

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Ask the Expert

including infection prevention, skin protection &

wound care, food safety, orthodontia and, of

course, dental products. An intensified coopera-

tion will be advantageous for the company itself,

since synergies can be leveraged, connections

found, benchmarks identified and processes

(e.g. employee training programmes) standard-

ized. This contributes decisively to process

safety and will accelerate the learning curve.

Users may also benefit from synergies: for

example, 3M ESPE has always been leading in

the evaluation of and taking into account cus-

tomer desires as well as the creation of a strong

scientific network with universities worldwide. If

the knowledge of how to collaborate success-

fully is transferred to other business segments

and the procedures common at 3M ESPE are

implemented there as well, all users of 3M

Health Care products will benefit. This makes

sure that innovations are always optimally tai-

lored to their specific needs.

What do you like best about your new posi-

tion?

My tasks are currently very versatile. As a coordi-

nator of regulatory and compliance activities, I

work with many different people in diverse coun-

tries throughout the world. In discussions with

managers and employees of 3M ESPE, I am able

to pass on the knowledge I have acquired in the

past decades. My experience helps me to create

acceptance and interest for the issues of quality

management. I like to spread my knowledge,

answer many questions and I am happy to see the

progress of individuals as well as teams. Last but

not least, I am proud of the safe and successful

products being launched by 3M ESPE which often

contribute to bringing technical safety into the

dental practice.

Dr. Schneider, you have shed light into the

significance of quality management at 3M

and 3M ESPE. Please give an example of

how quality management can have a posi-

tive impact on a product.

A very interesting example is the extension of the

warranty for 3M™ ESPE™ Lava™ Zirconia restora-

tions. For years, 3M ESPE has granted a five-year

warranty on copings and frameworks made of

Lava Zirconia, provided that the restoration has

been fabricated in strict compliance with approved

indications and instructions for use of the material

as well as the respective CAD/CAM system.

Recently, this warranty has been extended to 15

years, an achievement that was only possible due

to strict quality controls for blank production and

an exact adjustment of all system components. In

vitro as well as in vivo studies have revealed that

restorations made of Lava Zirconia exhibit a high

long-term stability and corrosion resistance. Since

quality management at 3M ESPE does not stop

with the launch of a product, we have been able to

detect the strength of the product and extended

the warranty of the reliable material years after its

introduction in the interest of the user.

Dr. Schneider, thank you for the conversa-

tion.

Quality management is smoothly integrated into all processes.

The warranty for 3M™ ESPE™ Lava™ Zirconia frameworks and copings has been extended to 15 years.

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No. 18 | October 2010

Can you beat 3M ESPE?

A bonding duel taking place in NurembergMiriam Basel, Zirndorf, Germany

Many dentists will know this scene: A training

course offered in the evening after work,

massive amounts of theoretical input are

given and soon, the participants suffer from

an information overload. They will take home

an overview of the current situation on the

market, but will not be able to leverage the

obtained knowledge for their daily work.

As a dentist with a pratice in a small village near

Nuremberg, Germany, I was used to this picture

and had never experienced something different

until March 2010. Then, I received a facsimile

informing about the kickoff of a series of events

organized by 3M ESPE, which promised a strongly

practical focus: With the title “Can you beat

3M ESPE? – Join in the bonding duel”, the com-

pany invited interested dentists to compare the

bond strength of their favourite adhesive with a

product by 3M ESPE directly on the spot using

objective testing methods. Needless to say, I

instantly decided to participate.

Kickoff

The evening event took place in the heart of Nurem-

berg, Germany. It started with an introduction into

the history of adhesives at 3M and the development

of adhesive technology at 3M ESPE. Moreover, the

trend towards self-etch adhesives and the chemical

composition of 3M™ ESPE™ Adper™ Easy Bond

Self-Etch Adhesive were described. At the centre of

the seminar, however, was a bonding duel.

Duelling adhesives

In this competition, the seventh generation bond-

ing agent Adper Easy Bond competed against

other materials brought along by the participants.

For this purpose, the 30 attending dentists bonded

a small amount of

composite material – 3M™ ESPE™ Filtek™ Supreme

XT Universal Restorative – to previously prepared

bovine teeth. Every practitioner was provided with

three enamel and two dentin specimens. Both

adhesives, the one brought along by the dentist and

Adper Easy Bond, were each applied on one dentin

and one enamel specimen, the 3M ESPE material

was additionally bonded to one enamel specimen

using a separate etching step. The whole process

of bonding was demonstrated live by Dr. Armin

Bock, Professional Service Manager at 3M ESPE,

and broadcasted on a huge screen.

Dr. Miriam Basel, Zirndorf.

Firs

t,

the adhesive was applied ...

The participants prepared several specimens.

… and light cured.

Specimen with composite material.

Afterwards, the composite material was added using

mold fixed with a clamp.

6

Backstage Report

a

Afterwards, the specimens were collected by

3M ESPE employees and the bond strengths

determined with a shear bond tester in a stand-

ardized procedure. Anytime, the participants were

allowed to have a look at the proceedings.

Lecture and hands-on session

While the bond strengths of all specimens were

being determined, the dentist Frank Tussing

from Gießen, Germany, gave a lecture on filling

materials and used well-documented cases to

show the benefits resulting from the use of

modern filling materials. His lecture motivated

me to test some steps in my own practice.

Afterwards, all attendees were able to perform a

multi-layer technique in his workshop. The par-

ticipants were provided with a model and the

materials Filtek Supreme XT as well as its suc-

cessor 3M™ ESPE™ Filtek™ Supreme XTE

Universal Restorative, which were applied in dif-

ferent shades under the guidance of Frank Tuss-

ing. For me, it was especially interesting to see

how shades, the play of colours and translu-

cency of natural teeth can be imitated if the cor-

rect technique is chosen. I learned some tricks I

had not been able to perform in everyday clinical

practice before.

Bonding results

After this workshop, the results of the duel were

presented and the winners awarded. 3M ESPE

had announced that those participants who had

achieved the highest strength values either with

their own adhesives or with Adper Easy Bond

should receive a gold medal. All three awardees

had obtained best values – up to 28.6 MPa – with

the seventh generation bonding agent by

3M ESPE!

Personal gain

What attracted my special attention when I

received the invitation to the kickoff event was

the opportunity of testing my preferred adhesive

in an objective procedure. Furthermore, I was

curious if the provocative statement of 3M ESPE

was justified. I brought along a self-priming

bonding agent, which is used in my practice for

standard procedures. Moreover, I utilize three

additional products, one of them being a classi-

cal three-bottle system. Although I am quite

satisfied with the adhesives I am currently using,

I am always open for possible optimizations and

thus wanted to gain experience with a new

product.

The results of the duel really surprised me, espe-

cially the fact that even a classical three-bottle

adhesive system was beat by the 3M ESPE mate-

rial, although the former is often regarded as the

gold standard in adhesive bonding. I am still famil-

iar with the prevalent opinion that the best result

is obtained by separate etching, priming and

bonding and that single-bottle adhesives cannot

achieve the same bond strengths. During the

event, 3M ESPE succeeded in proving the oppo-

site.

Since – in addition to the promising results –

Adper Easy Bond also seems to offer an easy

hand ling and application, I am going to test it in

clinical use and will employ it in the future if the

clinical results convince me as well.

A great concept

To sum up, I have to say that I liked the new

event concept very much. Never before, I have

visited or heard of an event with such a strong

practice orientation. In the beginning, I could not

imagine that 3M ESPE would really face the

direct comparison. I was curious what was going

to happen and astonished that the company kept

its promise.

The bond strengths were measured with a shear bond tester ...

... by Dr. Armin Bock and his colleagues.

Espertise™

magazine

7

No. 18 | October 2010

A novel flowable composite material in clinical useGunnar Reich, Munich, Germany

3M™ ESPE™ Filtek™ Supreme XTE Flowable Restorative

Figure 1: Initial situation. Figure 2: The old amalgam filling was removed and the cavity is ready for filling.

Figure 3: Adper Easy Bond Self-Etch Adhesive is applied after selective enamel etching with phosphoric acid.

Figure 4: The adhesive layer is polymerized for ten seconds utilizing Elipar S10 LED Curing Light.

Figure 5: A layer of Filtek Supreme XTE Flowable Restora-tive is applied at the bottom of the cavity.

Figure 6: After having light-cured the flowable composite for ten seconds, the modelation of the approximal cavity wall follows using Filtek Supreme XTE Universal Restorative. For this step, enamel or body shades should be chosen.

Figure 7: Afterwards, a layer of Filtek Supreme XTE Universal Restorative in a dentin shade is applied.

Figure 8: Each layer is polymerized for ten seconds with Elipar S10 LED Curing Light.

Figure 9: The completed restoration before finishing and polishing.

Figure 10: A highly natural, beautiful result is obtained.

In this clinical case, the following products

by 3M ESPE have been used: Adper™ Easy

Bond Self-Etch Adhesive, Elipar™ S10 LED

Curing Light, Filtek™ Supreme XTE Flowable

Restorative and Filtek™ Supreme XTE

Universal Restorative.

8

Clinical Excellence

Espertise™

magazine

9

“As often as necessary, as safe as possible”Monika Daubländer, Mainz, Germany

Basics of modern pain management

Ask the Expert

The fact that today, 60 % of all procedures in dentistry are carried out

under local anaesthesia shows that pain therapy has become a routine

treatment performed in dental practices around the globe. After more

than 100 years of local anaesthetic use in dentistry, the complication

rate is low and the impact on the patient easily controllable. However,

due to an increasing complexity of treatments, diversity of techniques

and huge patient differences, the concept of a differentiated local

anaesthesia should be applied by the dentist.

Drugs in local anaesthetic solutions

In general, local anaesthetic solutions are differentiated by the drug they con-

tain. The first drug utilized in dentistry was procaine, containing an amino

ester group. In 1944, lidocaine, the first amino amide-type local anaesthetic

drug was developed, which is applied worldwide today. Articaine, first used in

1974, is an amide-type anaesthetic which contains an additional ester group.

Due to this exceptional structure, the drug has a short half life of approxi-

mately 20 minutes and offers a favourable risk-benefit ratio. Articaine is most

widely used in Europe and gaining increasing popularity in other regions of the

world. Mepivacaine, a local anaesthetic of the anilide type, and bupivacaine,

belonging to the amino amide group, are further drugs used in dental pain

therapy.

Vasoconstrictors

Apart from the drug, the local anaesthetic solution usually contains a vaso-

constrictor as well as further additives such as an antioxidant and, if offered

in multi-dose bottles, preserving agents. While preserving agents should be

avoided and an intolerance of an ingredient is always a contraindication, these

additives do not impair the performance of the solution. The adding of a vaso-

constrictor, however, has an impact on the local anaesthetic: it allows for a

higher success rate of local anaesthesia as well as a longer and more inten-

sive period of action and reduces systemic plasma levels as well as local

bleedings. The additive mainly used today is adrenaline (also termed epine-

phrine) – there are no alternatives which are similarly effective and proven.

However, the effects of adrenaline may differ depending on the anaesthetic

drug in use. The strongest effects are achieved in combination with lidocaine

and articaine, while they

are much weaker with

mepivacaine and bupi-

vacaine. Therefore, these

drugs can also be applied

without a vasoconstrictor

and are particularly suited

for cases of adrenaline

intolerance. Another fac-

tor influencing the effect

of adrenaline is the injec-

tion technique, the most

clinically relevant results

being achieved in infiltra-

tion anaesthesia. This technique is the safest and most frequently applied one

for dental pain therapy.

Differentiated approach

The amount of adrenaline in a solution determines the duration of action, and

since higher adrenaline concentrations are more likely to lead to local as well

as systemic complications, the principle “as often as necessary, as safe as

possible” should always be respected. Due to the wide choice of products e.g.

3M ESPE is offering in the adrenaline concentrations 1:100,000, 1:200,000

and 1:400,000, selection criteria such as the complexity of treatment, age and

medical condition of the patient and the injection technique can be taken into

account to contribute to maximally effective and safe procedures in dentistry.

Monika Daubländer, MD, DDS

Monika Daubländer, MD, DDS

Monika Daubländer, MD, DDS is currently Assistant Medical

Director of the Department of Oral Surgery and Lecturer in oral

surgery, local anaesthesia and pain management in dentistry.

She holds the position of Associate Professor at the university

medical center of the Johannes Gutenberg University of Mainz,

Germany. She has specialist training in oral and maxillofacial

surgery as well as in special pain management.

No. 18 | October 2010

In September 2010, 3M™ ESPE™ RelyX™

Unicem 2 Automix Self-Adhesive Resin

Cement was launched. This cement is the

successor of the proven 3M™ ESPE™ RelyX™

Unicem Self-Adhesive Universal Resin

Cement, which is available in capsules as

well as the Clicker™ Dispenser. The market

introduction of the new delivery was pre-

ceded by approximately two and a half years

of development work, which began with the

idea of offering a leading product in an

automix syringe as well. The goal behind this

project was to bring even more convenience

into the dental practice.

3M™ ESPE™ RelyX™ Unicem 2 Automix Self-Adhesive Resin Cement.

Product development

Dr. Carolin Wiedig, a biochemist who holds the

position of Scientific Affairs Manager Cementa-

tion at 3M ESPE since 2008, explains the chal-

lenge of launching the self-adhesive cement in a

novel delivery: “In order to allow for automatic

mixing directly in a syringe, the material in ques-

tion has to exhibit special flow properties. In the

new delivery system, the material is stored in two

different tubes as a paste-paste-formulation in

contrast e.g. to a liquid-powder formulation in

capsules. For application, the two pastes are sim-

ply pressed through eight small blades within the

mixing tip. The dispensed material is immediately

ready to use. Two things are important for this

mixing process: firstly, consistent, homogeneous

results have to be ensured and secondly, it should

be possible to dispense the material smoothly

with low force.”

Product modifications

To achieve the known and proven material quality

after automatic mixing, the rheology of the cement

had to be adjusted by adding a new rheology

modifier. In addition, the processing of the filler

particles was optimized for this purpose. The

basic chemical composition including the adhe-

sion monomer, the patented initiator system and

the filler technology leading to Unicem’s unique

neutralization behaviour, remained the same as

for RelyX Unicem. “What has to be taken into

account is that changing one single property of a

material always influences other features as well,

so that each step in product development has to

be reviewed carefully,” says Dr. Wiedig. “Finally,

an even better level of overall performance was

achieved for RelyX Unicem 2 Automix as com-

pared to its predecessor.”

Pre-launch tests

As soon as product development has reached a

stage at which one version of the cement seems

to satisfy all desires, it has to pass approximately

120 different laboratory tests, from the determi-

nation of mechanical and bond strengths to toxi-

cological investigations. If the material is regarded

as safe and suitable, it is applied in the clinical

environment by consultant dentists, who com-

ment on the properties and contribute their ideas.

These are taken into account for further steps in

the development. For RelyX Unicem 2 Automix,

the feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.

Especially the consistency for dispensing and

seating and the easy-to-use automix system have

been praised. External tests at different universi-

ties around the globe completed the testing phase.

The studies at universities prior to the launch of

RelyX Unicem 2 Automix have been initiated by Dr.

Wiedig. “I accompany the whole development

process and the developers keep me informed

about every single step. I collect scientific facts

and product specifications as well as results of

the clinical and technical studies and make rele-

vant information available to dentists through sci-

entific brochures etc. Thus, I work at the interface

3M™ ESPE™ RelyX™ Unicem 2 Automix Self-Adhesive Resin Cement

A challenging project mastered by a strong teamGerhard Kultermann, 3M ESPE, Seefeld, Germany

Laboratory technician busy at 3M ESPE research laborato-ries.

Dr. Carolin Wiedig presenting the novel cement at a scien-tific meeting in Spain.

10

Backstage Report

between science and marketing and combine

both worlds to enable a proper exchange of infor-

mation” explains Dr. Carolin Wiedig.

Product management

When it comes to marketing communication, two

other female employees take a leading role: Kris-

tina Schmidt, New Product Manager for Cementa-

tion and Temporization, who is respon-

sible for product launches worldwide,

and Carina Koppers, European Market-

ing Manager at 3M ESPE, who takes the

responsibility for the marketing strategy

in Europe. “At the beginning of the prod-

uct development phase, I start with the

arrangements for successful product

introduction. My tasks are very versatile

and begin with analyzes of the market

situation, competitive products and

trends in different countries. After eval-

uation of the collected data, strategic

planning follows. The next decisive step

is product positioning, followed by bud-

geting and production planning and

scheduling. While I plan the global mar-

keting communication package I am

dependent on scientific information pro-

vided by Dr. Wiedig as well as the feed-

back on the situation in specific regions

given by marketing managers such as

Carina Koppers,” explains Kristina Schmidt.

European marketing

Carina Koppers started as a Junior Marketing

Manager at 3M ESPE in 2007 and has managed

the portfolios of Temporization, Cementation and

Impressioning for the European region during the

past two years. She is responsible for strategic

portfolio management as well as product launches

in Europe, coordinates the different local market-

ing tactics, e.g. promotions, events, or the crea-

tion of brochures and pools the input coming from

different local subsidiaries of 3M ESPE. Feedback

on products or country-specific demands, for

example, are summarized by her and forwarded to

the global team, in the case of RelyX Unicem 2

Automix, to Kristina Schmidt. “I am in constant

contact with the local sales and marketing teams

and representatives on the one hand and the glo-

bal team on the other. Regular exchange of infor-

mation is necessary to make sure that the devel-

oped product features the properties desired by

the user and that these benefits are also commu-

nicated to the dental practice.” As Carina Koppers

reports, the team work with the other two women

is highly productive: “Within the team, information

is always passed on properly to ensure a smooth

running of all processes and enable adherence to

time schedules. The latter has been the greatest

challenge in the running project and I am proud to

say that everything went through smoothly.”

Hand in hand

“Exchange of knowledge and ideas

both with users of 3M ESPE products

and internal partners is taken seriously

at all levels of the company, and espe-

cially in product development. For the

project of RelyX Unicem 2 Automix, we

all acted in concert to reach our goals,”

explains Kristina Schmidt. “The most

important prerequisites for a product

to become successful are customer-

oriented product development on the

one hand and supportive tools and

services such as hands-on courses,

information materials etc. for dental

practices on the other. Only through

this combination, we can make sure

that dentists benefit from the product

advantages and thus can contribute to

simplified work processes in the den-

tal practice.” While the launch of RelyX Unicem

2 Automix has been highly successful and this

task is almost completed, all three women look

forward to teaming up for the next challenging

project.

Kristina Schmidt and Dr. Carolin Wiedig after a launch event for 3M™ ESPE™ RelyX™ Unicem 2 Automix Self-Adhesive Resin Cement at a scientific meeting in Spain.

Espertise™

magazine

11

No. 18 | October 2010

Balkenprodukt Blindtext

Following the American exampleBettina Richter, 3M ESPE, Seefeld, Germany

Reconciliation of family and career

12

Lifestyle

During the past decades, the institutions of

the European Union have been striving to pro-

vide equal career opportunities for men and

women. They started building up a more

comprehensive infrastructure for childcare

and schooling which enables women to rec-

oncile family and career.

However, due to a societal pressure – which is

based on the opinion that it is impossible to be a

good mother and a successful businesswoman at

the same time – it is still not easy for women in

many European countries to opt for both, children

and full-time work. Women who want to combine

work and children need a high degree of self con-

fidence and motivation to stand up to the con-

cerns of others. During my stay in the United

States, I gained this self confidence since I learned

that the attitude prevailing in Germany is not the

measure of all things.

Beginnings of my career

After having completed my PhD in Chemistry at

the University of Wurzburg, Germany, I applied for

a job as Clinical Research Manager at ESPE

Dental AG in Seefeld, Germany, in 1997. In this

position, I gained initial experience in the dental

field. After the fusion of ESPE Dental and 3M in

the year 2000, I became Global Scientific Affairs

Manager of the Business Segment Prosthodontics

and moved into the position of Global Scientific

Marketing Manager in 2004.

This position was created as a result of the decision

that the divisions Research & Development and

Marketing have to intertwine more intensively to

properly inform the user of 3M ESPE products

about the ongoing activities in research and devel-

opment. Internal as well as external studies which

are conducted to evaluate the performance of a

novel product, for example, have to be translated

into the language of the customer so he

will be provided with relevant, up-to-date

information. For this purpose, we

established the Espertise™ brand. Under its

umbrella, objective information and educa-

tional opportunities are provided for dental

professionals all over the world.

In order to enable the effective and overall

implementation of this new concept, I

moved to St. Paul, Minnesota, in

2004.

Family comes into play

When I came to St. Paul together with my husband,

who is also employed at 3M ESPE and assumed a

new position in the United States, I was pregnant

with my daughter. She was born in an environment

where it is quite common and accepted by the soci-

ety that mothers start to work again three months

after the delivery of their child and where work and

private life are easily reconcilable. This has shaped

my attitude and I decided to adopt this American

way of combining the two wonderful things for my

future life in Germany. I came back to Germany in

2007 to continue my job as Head of Global Scien-

tific Marketing. I gained additional responsibility for

the Customer Information Center in Seefeld. Soon

after my return, I gave birth to my son and started

working again half a year later.

Social network

The reconciliation of family and career has been

facilitated by a combination of personal motivation

and a balanced, well-organized family life. While

my daughter has a place in a kindergarten, my

son visits a home daycare. In addition, we have a

back-up through my mother-in-law, who cares for

her grandchildren whenever it becomes neces-

sary. What is important as well is that both, my

The opinion that family and career are not reconcilable is quite common e.g. in Germany.

A balance has to be achieved between family and profes-sional life.

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Espertise™

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13

husband and I, fill in if required on an equal basis.

Needless to say it involves a lot of management to

care for the children, especially if one of us is on a

business trip e.g. in the United States, but so far,

the challenges have never been too difficult to

overcome. It is decisive to strike a balance

between personal and professional self-fulfillment,

and I am happy to say that we have succeeded in

this regard!

The company

In addition to a strong social network, I benefit

from the attitudes of the US-based company

3M ESPE. Things have changed during the past

decades, and today, 3M ESPE offers its employ-

ees a high degree of flexibility. Apart from part-

time contracts and the option of working from the

home office occasionally, the company offers flex-

ible working hours. In addition, a cooperation with

the Familienservice München, a company provid-

ing care, was established to help 3M ESPE

employees finding a child daycare solution or

other personnel such as geriatric nurses.

This offer gave me a feeling of security, especially

when I returned from the United States. My husband

came back three months earlier, began to work

immediately and tried to organize everything for my

return. After my arrival, I also had only a few days off

and, being pregnant as well as bringing with me our

little daughter, I had to get all things settled within a

very short time. Due to the family-friendly attitude of

3M ESPE, this challenge was much easier to master

than it would have been without the acceptance and

helpfulness of the whole company in general and

the team I work with in particular.

Great Place to Work

I am sure that this strategy of the company’s

human resources policy has been one of the

reasons for 3M ESPE to be awarded by the

Great Place to Work® Institute. In 2010, it

attained the second rank in the competition

“Best Workplaces in Germany” in the category

of companies with 501 to 2,000 employees. In

addition, it was ranked number four of the Best

Workplaces in Europe together with its parent

company 3M. In terms of family policies and

overall work climate, the company is certainly

on the right track and it is my desire that many

other German companies follow suit to help cre-

ate a new consciousness in the German society!

My personal motivation is also to be a role model

for other women who strive for balancing work

and family life. And, since I know that a strong

team is the key to individual success, I will con-

tinue promoting personnel management at

3M ESPE, a subject that has always been a pas-

sion of mine.

Dr. Bettina Richter, Head of Global Scientific Marketing and of the Customer Information Center in Seefeld, Germany.

Together, we have achieved this balance.

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No. 18 | October 2010

Personality counts!Olivia Besten, Dusseldorf, Germany

Women in executive positions

14

Ask the Expert

Interview with Christin Schack, Speaker of the

Executive Board and Head of Business Devel-

opment for Europe, Middle East and Africa

(EMEA) at 3M ESPE in Seefeld, Germany.

Christin Schack, since February 2008, you

are in the position of Head of Business

Development EMEA and have become

Speaker of the Executive Board at 3M ESPE

in January 2010. Please describe your

career path.

After having studied Business Administration with a

focus on Marketing and International Management

in Germany and France, I started my career as a

Trainee and later, Junior Product Manager at ESPE

Dental AG in 1995. In 1999, just before the merger

of the two companies 3M and ESPE Dental, I went

to ESPE America as Product Manager. In 2001, I

assumed the position of International Product Man-

ager and – as I knew well the product range and the

organizational structures of ESPE Dental – was well

involved in the integration of the two global enter-

prises. One year later, I became Business Develop-

ment Manager Latin America before I returned to

Seefeld in 2003, where I soon took over the Mar-

keting Operations Management for Europe. I held

this position until 2008.

Your career profile seems to be highly goal-

oriented and straightforward. What moti-

vated you to assume an executive position?

First of all, I have to recognize that it was not my

ultimate goal to assume a leading position when I

started working at ESPE Dental as a Trainee. Or said

differently, as inexperienced as I was at the begin-

ning, I could not think that far out. I like and always

liked to take responsibility for tasks I am charged

with and have developed an independent work style

very early. For me, the most important precondition

is that I like my job and what I do and the people

around me, which automatically results in my per-

sonal motivation. This was the case in every

stage of my career. Decisive factors are versatil-

ity of a job, the possibility to work independently

and also to work in a strong team around. It is in

my nature that I am constantly looking for new

challenges. What really satisfies me is to master

these challenges autonomously! At 3M ESPE, I was

always entrusted with another new, exciting respon-

sibility when a task was fulfilled. This is probably

how I got to a leading position and why I hold it

today.

What has been the major challenge during

your career?

The greatest challenge, which at the same time

was the one where I gained the most experience,

was the integration of ESPE Dental

and 3M in St. Paul. First, I was

one of two German employees

coming from the ‘ESPE side’

working in the US at that time

and so, the two of us became

the main contacts for our US-

based 3M colleagues for many

integration aspects, particularly

the intercultural ones. Since I

was a Product Manager, these

issues had not belonged to my

usual areas of responsibility,

and thus almost everything I

was involved in was new to me.

However, it was my chance to

Christin Schack

Espertise™

magazine

15gain tremendous insight into change management,

cross-functional business management aspects,

organizational set-up questions as well as the dif-

ferent segments of the company.

At a later stage, I was charged to expand

the integration into Latin America as Busi-

ness Development Manager for this

region. Looking back now, I was extremely

‘junior’ in General Business Management

at that time. However, I threw myself into it.

And this is how you learn.

Mrs. Schack, what are the most important

character traits a leader should possess?

In my opinion, my personal success has been

enabled by my natural curiosity and openness

with regard to persons as well as issues. The per-

sons who work around me in my team as well

as customers and commercial part-

ners of 3M ESPE incite me and direct

interaction with them is highly impor-

tant for my work. You need to rely on

a network, and you have to be able to

delegate tasks, motivate your col-

leagues and work in a team. More-

over, an interest in diverse topics and

a proactive approach to tasks as well

as challenges is needed. A General

Manager cannot be an expert in every

field of responsibility, but he or she

has to be versatile, should know where

to retrieve certain expertise and

should build a strong team around him

or herself. Without openness and curi-

osity, a person will not be able to

acquire these skills.

You have summarized the traits which are

usually important for a leader. Are there dif-

ferences in the general character of women

versus men which lead to distinctions

regarding the management style?

To my mind, these differences clearly exist. You

cannot paint everything in black and white, but in

general, women are more likely to avoid conflicts

because they strive for harmony as well as coher-

ence in a team. Thus, many decisions are reached

collectively and built on compromise rather than on

their own personal opinion. Men, on the other hand,

tend to decide on their own. Both styles have their

advantages and it mainly depends on the distinctive

business question and given circumstances which

one will be more successful. Because of these dis-

tinctions, a management team composed of male

as well as female persons should be the most prom-

ising approach in an enterprise. A team with several

characters which complement each other – this is

what really makes a difference for the company! For

this purpose, however, it would be important that

more women obtain an executive position.

How should this be achieved? Do you think

a quota system would be advantageous?

I do not think so. Women should not be favoured

due to a specific rule. The best fitting and most

successful persons should assume a management

position. ‘Build on Strength’ is a key term here at

3M ESPE. The challenge for the company lies in an

early identification and encouragement of poten-

tials. While men are more likely to attract attention

in the early stages of their career, because of what

described earlier, women tend to achieve a lot with-

out maybe anybody realizing it. Meaning, men are

often more successful in advertising themselves

and therefore, their potentials are more easily

detected and supported as such. This fact has to

be taken into account when special personnel

development programmes are offered. In this way,

equal opportunities are created to enter into execu-

tive positions. But reality is also that women are

more likely in the centre when family planning

starts. Therefore, support in terms of flexible work-

ing times etc. should be offered to avoid that raising

a family becomes an insurmountable obstacle for

career-oriented women.

Overall, we have to raise awareness of the fact

that women act differently from men and should

take this into consideration, also with respect to

our customers.

I think you are referring to the increasing

number of female dentists in many Euro-

pean countries. What does this change

mean for 3M ESPE?

The desires and demands of female dentists are

different to those of their male colleagues, e.g. con-

cerning product handling, a factor that can be

explained by physical distinctions. Also, the ways of

procuring information are dissimilar. And again,

there are differences in balancing professional and

family life. 3M ESPE will detail these diffe rences

and develop a strategy to support women as well as

men in optimizing procedures and solutions in the

dental practice by finding an answer to their spe-

cific needs!

Mrs. Schack, thank you for the conversation!

No. 18 | October 2010

... the United KingdomKate Winstone, New Ash Green, United Kingdom

Dentistry in …

16

Country Insights

The General Dental Council (GDC) has recog-

nized sixteen Dental Schools or Schools of

Medicine and Dentistry in the United Kingdom

where a dental degree can be obtained. Usu-

ally, students attend five years of combined

theoretical and clinical undergraduate study

before obtaining a Bachelor of Dental Surgery

(BDS) degree. After graduating, one year

vocational training is required to receive an

NHS registration. All dentists must register

with the GDC, the organization regulating

dental professionals in the UK, and has to

meet their requirements before being given

permission to practice. For graduated den-

tists, a variety of postgraduate education as

well as specialist training programmes is

available.

Health insurance

In the UK, one distinguishes between the National

Health Service (NHS), which is funded from gen-

eral taxation and provides coverage to residents

in the UK, and private healthcare insurance com-

panies. Dentists in general practice may choose

between running an NHS only practice, having a

mix of NHS and private patients or providing only

private treatments. NHS dentists are paid

according to the number of Units of Dental Activ-

ity (UDA) done in a year. All treatments are

divided into three bands of treatment including

defined services. The charge for the patient and

the number of UDAs earned by the dentist

depend on the band the applied treatment

belongs to. For example, if a treatment involving

crowns is necessary, the patient will pay £ 198

and the dentist earns 12 UDAs, no matter how

many crowns are placed. The actual cash value

of a UDA is set by the local NHS Primary Care

Trust. Every year, an NHS dentist will enter into a

contract with the NHS defining how many UDAs

will be completed.

In the practice I am running together with my hus-

band Huw Winstone in New Ash Green, we opted

for a combined approach. We have a contract with

the NHS covering about one third of our patients,

while another third are covered by Denplan care.

Denplan is a company that arranges personal den-

tal payment plans which are adjusted to the indi-

vidual patients’ needs. For patients paying the

monthly fee, every treatment apart from cosmetic

work and treatment involving laboratory work is

covered by the system. I believe that in this way, I

can retain more independence than under NHS and

my patients benefit from a wider range of services

and predictable payments. Those patients who are

not treated under the umbrella of NHS or Denplan

usually pay privately in my practice.

The dental team

According to the GDC, the number of dentists cur-

rently registered is 37,230, the proportion of

female dentists being 42% (15,800 individuals).

Per dentist, an average number of 1.2 dental

nurses are employed in the UK and overall, 5,758

dental hygienists as well as 7,202 dental techni-

cians are registered at the GDC.

In our three-surgery practice, there are three

female and two male dentists, but only one of

them works full time. The team is made up of two

practice owners (my husband and me), three

associate dentists working independently, five

dental nurses, one hygienist, two receptionists

and one practice manager. We provide all kinds of

dental treatment, like examination, preventative

care, direct as well as indirect restorations and

denture work. Implants and Invisalign treatments

are offered as well and I, like many other dentists

in the UK, now also provide some facial cosmetic

treatments. Orthodontic treatment is referred to

external specialists.

Dr. Kate Winstone, PhD, BDS

BAND KIND OF TREATMENT PATIENT CHARGE UDA

Band 1 Includes examination, diagnosis and preventative care as well as urgent and out of hours care. If necessary, X-rays, scale and polish and planning for further treatment is also included.

£ 16,50 1

Band 2 Includes treatment covered by Band 1 plus ordinary treatment, such as fillings, root canal treatment or extractions.

£ 45,60 3

Band 3 Includes treatment covered by Band 1 and 2 plus procedures involving laboratory work, like crowns and bridges or dentures

£ 198 12

Dentistry in …

… the Russian FederationTatyana Snegireva, St. Petersburg, Russia

In the Russian Federation, there are currently

47 dental schools offering a dental degree. All

students have to attend five years of full-time

dental education before obtaining a DDS

degree (Diploma of Doctor Stomatologist).

Afterwards, they have to follow an obligatory

internship for one year, which ends with a

specialization examination. By passing this

exam, they receive a certificate which gives

them the right to practice as a general den-

tist. After completion of the internship, a den-

tist is given the opportunity to continue spe-

cialization. To receive a certificate in a

number of specialties like restorative den-

tistry, prosthetic dentistry or oral surgery,

two to five years of additional training is

required. In fact, most Russian dentists have

a strict specialization and only very few work

as general dental practitioners.

Insurance system

In Russia, the oral health care system is funded

through obligatory medical insurance. The costs

for particular treatments are covered by different

facilities on the local, regional or federal level. For

children and adolescents of up to 16 years as well

as elderly people receiving some kind of social

support, oral health care is free of charge. More-

over, the services provided by the public oral

health system, which usually include restorative

treatments, some prosthetic dental treatments

and oral surgery, are also free to adult patients.

These services are offered by public clinics only,

while treatment obtained from private clinics is not

refunded by the state. The costs for health care

from the private sector can be either covered by a

private insurance or paid privately by the patient.

The fact that 88% of dental clinics in Russia are

private indicates that most patients are involved in

some kind of private dental care.

I am an employed dentist working at two different

private clinics in St. Petersburg. In one clinic, I

have been working since the beginning of my

internship. There, I also offer trainings for young

dentists to teach them how to work according to

international standards. Since it is a private oral

care facility, most patients (about 70%) pay pri-

vately, while approximately 30% of the treatments

are covered by an individual insurance.

Dental workforce and employ-ment structure

According to official statistics in Russia, the

number of dentists is 66,000 in the Russian Fed-

eration. While a high proportion of restorative

dentists are female, many male dentists work as

prosthodontist. Overall, women seem to clearly

outnumber men in the dental profession.

In many Western European countries, most

patients are treated in small dental practices with

one to five dentists who are often self-employed.

In contrast, the picture in Russia is highly diversi-

fied. Here, about half of the oral care facilities are

huge polyclinics with a decentralized structure,

while the smaller practices usually have at least

five to six dentists. In the huge clinics, which typi-

cally have several different departments in one

city, the dentists work as employees. One of the

clinics I am working in has 15 different offices

throughout the city of St. Petersburg, and employs

a total of approximately 170 dentists and 150

dental nurses. In my department, which is a six-

surgery clinic, there are 20 dentists. While the

treatment focus is on restorative dentistry, pros-

thetic dentistry and prosthodontics, patients are

offered all other kinds of dental treatment includ-

ing implantology as well.

Dr. Tatyana Snegireva …

… is an employed dentist working in a clinic in St. Petersburg.

Espertise™

magazine

17

Country Insights

No. 18 | October 2010

The use of the internet today

Web 2.0: Welcome to endless opportunities! Dieter Klasmeier, 3M ESPE, Seefeld, Germany

Nowadays, the internet and the World Wide

Web have become indispensable for many

people throughout the world. According to

the Internet World Stats, 28.7% of the world’s

population, that is an estimated 1,966,514,816

people, is using the internet today (data for

June 30, 2010). With its versatile functions, it

serves as a communication platform and

information source which is used for private

as well as professional purposes. From its

beginnings in the 1960s, diverse develop-

ments have taken place.

Altering face of the internet

While in 1996, 45 million people have made use

of the web, it has been more than one billion in

2006. And it is not only the number of users, but

also the content that has been subject to funda-

mental change over the past decades.

Initially, e-mail has been the most important func-

tion for internet users. The usual website focused

on mass-oriented, standardized applications,

consuming and one-way communication. The

turning point for the web came in the autumn of

2001, when the dot-com bubble burst. Numerous

novel internet firms, the so-called dot-com com-

panies, were not able to meet the profit expecta-

tions and ultimately disappeared from the pic-

ture.

New architecture

The result was a change in the architecture of the

World Wide Web: novel technologies and applica-

tions were developed by new companies as well

as those in search for a survival strategy. This

trend, which was accompanied by a greater user

involvement, was termed Web 2.0. This term as

well as the concept behind it was developed by

Tim O’Reilly, founder and CEO of O’Reilly Media, a

computer book publisher, and Dale Dougherty,

vice president of the company, in a conference in

2005.

Interactive communication

Applications referred to as Web 2.0 are multi-

sided, but all share some essential characteris-

tics, the most important one being interactivity.

The sites are usually decentralized and provided

as well as created by a number of interconnected

users through an exchange of ideas, knowledge

and information. This is a clear difference to the

web pages of Web 1.0 which usually had a clearly

defined, fixed content originating from one single

source. Thus, with Web 2.0, the internet becomes

a platform that is based on the idea of harnessing

collective intelligence. The principle of providing

access to the knowledge of the community is sim-

ple: users add new content, such as an entry on

Wikipedia (www.wikipedia.com), and their infor-

mation is made available for other users visiting

the specific site.

File sharing, blogging and more

Web 2.0 has many faces. Apart from platforms

such as the online encyclopedia Wikipedia men-

tioned before, various forms of social media are

gaining importance. Well-known examples include

e.g. file sharing communities such as Flickr

(www.flickr.com), a service provided by Yahoo

which allows users to post and share their photos,

and YouTube (www.youtube.com), a video data-

base to post and view files. Both services include

a function which allows users to post individual

comments and share the content with friends.

Furthermore, weblogs (or blogs) are becoming

highly popular as well. Blogs are web sites which Nowadays, 28.7% of the world’s population is using the internet.

Flickr is used to post and share photos.

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Lifestyle

maintain an ongoing chronicle of information, their

topics ranging from the personal to the political.

Typical for blogs is their diary-type commentary.

Links to articles, videos and photos on other web-

sites can be included and the focus can be either

on one single topic or a range of different sub-

jects. An example of a blog about dental themes

is available at www.dentalblogs.com/.

Social networks

Another popular type of application is the social

network. On Facebook (www.facebook.com), for

example, registered users can create their own

profiles including personal and professional infor-

mation, photos and videos. A search function

enables users e.g. to find and connect with friends

or colleagues. The start page of a user’s pro-

file informs about recent comments, photos,

clips or other information posted by friends,

so that people can share their thoughts,

impressions and experiences with others via

this network, being independent of time and

space. By joining or building up specific

groups, common interests can be shared and

new contacts established on a global scale.

Users can see if their friends are online and

communication is enabled via a messaging

as well as a chat function. Today, Facebook is

used by 500 million people worldwide.

Not only are these networks leveraged in a private

context, professional questions can be dealt with as

well. This is possible in Facebook by linking up with

other professionals as well as in specific social net-

works, such as the interactive healthcare commu-

nity Townie Central (www.towniecentral.com). This

platform was specifically set up for healthcare pro-

fessionals who want to stay up-to-date with respect

to recent innovations in their field of expertise and

like to share their experience. Here, different func-

tions e.g. enabling communication via forums, par-

ticipation in group treatment planning and enrol-

ment in continuing education programmes are

offered.

Mobility

While initially, access to the World Wide Web was

limited to static internet connections at home or at

work, wireless LAN devices and dynamic connec-

tions have revolutionized internet usage. By now,

people are able to add content to the web with

their smart phones or tablet computers like Apple

iPhone or iPad whenever they want and wherever

they are. By downloading so-called apps, third-

party applications available for smartphones, the

user is provided access to diverse functionalities,

like GPS navigation, films, games and social net-

works. For the iPhone, more than 225,000 apps

are available in the App Store (as of June 7, 2010)

and may be chosen individually. Being equipped

with the required technology, a user standing in

front of the Tower Bridge in London, for example,

can take a photo with his iPhone, post it on face-

book immediately and will be notified if friends

have commented on it.

3M ESPE and Web 2.0

3M ESPE is aware of the endless opportunities

the web provides. Therefore, the company is cur-

rently developing a novel approach to meet the

desires of dentists and dental technicians in the

virtual world as well. More detailed information on

its implementation will be presented in the next

issue of the Espertise Magazine!

At Townie Central, registered users can create their own profile and communicate with others.

Espertise™

magazine

19

Editor:Gerhard Kultermann

Editorial team:Roland Bosch

Nicole Jaganosch

Oliver Kappler

Dieter Klasmeier

Carina Koppers

Bettina Richter

André Rumphorst

Production:www.eberl.de · Immenstadt/Germany

Design and typesetting:Comcord GmbH · Düsseldorf/Germany

We accept no liability for unsolicited manuscripts

or photographs.

Court of Jurisdiction: Munich

3M, ESPE, Adper, Clicker, Elipar, Espertise, Filtek, Lava and RelyX are trademarks of 3M or 3M ESPE AG. Great Place to Work is not a trademark of 3M or 3M ESPE AG.

© 3M ESPE AG 2010. All rights reserved.

3M ESPE AGESPE Platz82229 Seefeld · GermanyE-Mail: info3mespe@mmm.comInternet: www.3mespe.com

Calendar of Events 2010/2011 E D I T O R I A L Information

Published by:3M ESPE AG

ESPE Platz · 82229 Seefeld

E-Mail: info3mespe@mmm.com

Internet: www.3mespe.com

Date Event Location Website

07.10.2010 09.10.2010

38th International Expodental Rome www.expodental.itPromunidi S.r.l.

09.10.2010 12.10.2010

ADA Annual Session Orlando www.ada.orgADA

14.10.2010 16.10.2010

BDTA Dental Showcase 2010 London www.dentalshowcase.comBDTA

02.11.201005.11.2010

DenTech China 2010 Shanghai www.dentech.com.cn/en/main.aspShanghai ShowStar Exhibition Services Co, Ltd.

03.11.201007.11.2010

Expodental AMIC 2010 Internacionall

Mexico www.expopromoter.com/Redirect/lang/en/event_id/75041/Amic Dental

18.11.2010 20.11.2010

Swedental 2010 Stockholm www.swedental.orgStockholmsmässan

23.11.2010 27.11.2010

ADF 2010 Conference and Trade Exhibition

Paris www.adfcongres.comADF

26.11.2010 01.12.2010

2010 Greater New York Den-tal Meeting

New York City

www.gnydm.comGreater New York Dental Meeting

29.01.201101.02.2011

CIOSP 2011 Sao Paulo www.ciosp.com.br/APCD

01.02.201103.02.2011

AEEDC Dubai 2011 Dubai www.aeedc.com/Index Conferences and Exhibitions Est.

24.02.201126.02.2011

146th Midwinter Meeting Chicago www.cds.org/mwm/CDS

02.03.201105.03.2011

Dental South China Guangzhou www.dentalsouthchina.com/en/Guangdong International Science & Technology Exhibition Company

22.03.201126.03.2011

IDS – International Dental Show

Cologne www.ids-cologne.de/GFDI

30.03.201103.04.2011

34th Australian Dental Congress

Brisbane www.adc2011.com/ADA

07.04.201109.04.2011

SCANDEFA Copenhagen www.scandefa.dk/English/Bella Center

25.04.201128.04.2011

Dental Salon 2011 Moscow www.dental-expo.com/eng.htmlDentalexpo Ltd.

Espertise™

magazine

General Information