Dental Tribune UK Edition, October 11-17, 2010, No.25 Vol.4

15AdvertorialOctober 11-17, 2010United Kingdom Edition actively involved, such as pros- thetics, prophylaxis or dental ce- ments, we were able to achieve growth rates between 10–20 per cent last year. Filling materials did not per- form that well due to increasing market competition. There are plenty of new and innovative fill- ing materials on the market right now and we have to invest a lot to stay ahead with new develop- ments and products. What trends do you see im- pacting the industry at the moment? All manufacturers are striving for a product that of- fers almost ideal properties for a filling material and exhibits the same physical properties as natu- ral tooth substance. All our com- petitors are developing towards this ideal but I see us quite ahead. We have been working with nan- otechnology since the early 2000s and launched our first nano-hy- bride composite Grandio already in 2003. This product is still in high demand in Germany and many other markets. But we did not stop there. With Grandio®SO, we are now able to present another nano-hybride composite to the dental commu- nity that has outperformed our original expectations. Taking all its physical properties into ac- count, it is probably the most dentoid material on the market. When and where will it be available? It is already available in Germany and other selected European markets. Like its pred- ecessor, Grandio®SO is univer- sally applicable but a little more translucent so it can be also used for restorations in the maxillary anterior region. We will still offer Grandio to our customers world- wide. In the end, it is the dentists who decide which product they are rather going for. Do aesthetics play a more prominent role in the devel- opment of a composite? The primary goal is function. There is a place for aesthetics, too, but it must not compromise function- ality or the stability of the filling. There are different points of view in dentistry regarding this matter right now but for us the primary goal cannot be highly opaque teeth that might be currently en vogue among Hollywood stars. In the US, for example, we found that dentists were using the white opaque shade of our flowable composite Grandio Flow for an- terior restorations as this is usu- ally the shade that most strongly bleached teeth have over there. Normally, we recommend it to be only used to whiten dark spots or in the case dentists absolutely need an opaque layer. However, this is not the direc- tion we want to go. Teeth have a natural translucency and we want to keep it that way. I believe with our current portfolio we can offer dentists a good solution to achieve long-lasting and natural aesthetic restorations alike. Some European companies are developing specifically for the North American market. Is it the same with you? We sell exactly the same products in North America as we sell in Eu- rope. Usually, most products are launched there six months after the have been put on the Europe- an markets. The only difference is the type of shades. In Germany, for example, the majority of den- tists uses A3.5 which does not play any significant role in mar- kets like the US where A2 is more common. Will Grandio®SO be the main focus of your presentation at IDS next year and are you planning to introduce more products? Grandio®SO will be indeed the main focus of our IDS presentation but there are certainly other products that we intend to launch there. You will have to come to the show and see for yourself. Olaf Sauerbier talks to DTI Grandio SO will be the focus for 2011