Sustainability in dentistry is now a key challenge for the oral healthcare sector, with a large majority of dentists – 7 out of 10 participants – expressing that the dental industry is lagging behind when it comes to sustainability, while 80% say that it is really important that our industry reduces its environmental impact. These are key findings of the Global Sustainability in Dentistry Study*, which was commissioned by Dentsply Sirona, the world’s largest manufacturer of professional dental products and technologies The study, in which more than 1,300 dentists from the United States, Brazil, Germany, UK, France, China and Japan participated, also revealed that 69% of dentists admitted that they did not know how to start implementing concrete sustainability actions but were eager to learn more.

“At Dentsply Sirona we are determined to contribute our knowledge, technologies and passion to this important cause,” says Cherée Johnson, Dentsply Sirona’s Chief Legal Officer and Chair of Sustainability Committee. “We commissioned this study to understand how dentists around the world view sustainability and where they look to us and the industry for support.” She continued: “Sustainability is one of the most prominent and important topics in society today and Dentsply Sirona, as a member of the dental industry, must play its part in protecting the planet and improving the quality of lives around the globe.”

Sustainability Educational Curriculum for Dental Professionals

To address the existing knowledge gap among dentists, Dentsply Sirona has now launched the first course of its comprehensive Sustainability Educational Curriculum. Delivered online and for free through the Dentsply Sirona Academy, each of the five interactive courses is led by experienced experts and will focus on a different aspect of sustainability.

The curriculum introduces dentists to the biggest challenges and opportunities for the dental industry, industry-wide initiatives and ideas and resources that dentists can use to help further sustainability in their practices and beyond. The first course is now LIVE and will be followed by additional modules in 2023. Participants will receive CE credits upon successful completion of each course, as per the Academy of General Dentistry in United States and Canada.

Sustainability Breakout Session at DS World

Dentsply Sirona makes the global dental professionals’ sustainability needs a priority. At DS World 2022, to be held on September 15-17 in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, the Company will disclose several tools which will enable worldwide dental practitioners to advance sustainability in dentistry. Those attending the event are invited to join one of three Sustainability Breakout Sessions on Thursday, September 15, 2022. In the sessions, co-hosts Prof. Dr. Rainer Seemann, Interim Chief Clinical Officer at Dentsply Sirona, and Dr. Steven Mulligan, founding member of the FDI World Dental Federation (“FDI”)’s Sustainability in Dentistry Task Team, will dive into the challenges and opportunities of becoming more sustainable. The sessions will introduce a new FDI online toolkit that aims to give guidance and practical help to dental professionals around the world on how to take action. During the sessions, there will also be time for discussion and sharing experiences and ideas. Those interested in taking part can register via the DS World 2022 event application.

First anniversary of Dentsply Sirona’s sustainability program

The launch of the Sustainability Educational Curriculum also marks the first anniversary of Dentsply Sirona’s sustainability program ‘BEYOND: Taking action for a brighter world’. The program is focused on positively impacting:

• a Healthy Planet, reducing the environmental impact of the company’s operations as much as possible,
• Healthy Smiles, by widening the access to high quality oral healthcare, and
• a Healthy Business, with transparent business practices that also foster diversity and inclusion equity.

Dentsply Sirona made significant progress in the first year of the BEYOND sustainability program: As a co-founding partner of the FDI World Dental Federation’s Sustainability in Dentistry Initiative, Dentsply Sirona has contributed to the Consensus Statement, a comprehensive analysis of the status quo in dentistry, providing a detailed framework of the most promising approaches to reduce the environmental impact of oral healthcare without compromising the quality of dental care. The Statement was created for the use of dental practitioners, patients as well as companies throughout the entire dental-industry supply chain.