Dental Tribune United Kingdom

with the market is something that Andrew is proud of: “I am excited by the fact that DPAS is a very black and white busi- ness, that we do what we said we were going to do on the tin and we do it well. This we know from our customers telling oth- er customers – that’s how we grow. And that’s where we’ve evolved – we’ve been build- ing up that reputation all the time. We can sit here very re- laxed and comfortably: we have great retention, our customers are comfortable to come to us, we’re comfortable with our customers, and we go in a very sort of orderly manner. “We have also evolved in ourselves, for example I’ve changed the title of our sales force from the words sales to consultancy; we want to grow in a certain way and with the right people. What with changing the title of our sales team away from sales into consultancy, it’s enabled us to hopefully den- tal practices to realise that by booking an appointment with us doesn’t mean to say they’ve got to sign a piece of paper, it means to say that we’re going to help them decide whether the NHS is the viable position option for them, and many a day we advise dentists to take a slightly different course of action from what they were go- ing to do. We’re not confined and we don’t have the problem of constant target making to try and make our business work. And because we don’t, we grow faster.” Location location A unique feature of DPAS is their location. Based on a coun- try estate in Tisbury, a small Wiltshire village that dates back to the 8th century, the sleepy rural surroundings hide the driving ambition to deliver for their customers a high qual- ity service. Heavy investment in areas such as print and mailing as well as IT infrastructure and patient registration software keeps the company at the cut- ting edge of customer service, in tranquil surroundings that certainly help to keep the stress levels down when the next wave of practice conversions comes in! Yet it is still less than a two-hour train journey into the heart of London. The tranquillity of DPAS’s headquarters was a perfect backdrop to the company’s an- niversary celebrations; held on a sunny day in July (much like the day Quentin came up with the concept for DPAS). Lord, Ladies, clinicians, friends and colleagues joined DPAS staff for a celebratory lunch on the central lawn of the premises. Andrew welcomed guests, and then paved the way for a pres- entation by Quentin, who gave a short history of the company, thanking those who have been supportive of the DPAS dream over the years. He also put in to context the current situation in dentistry; piloting, the unsta- ble position of PCTs, UDAs and the ongoing recession. He com- mented that the ‘swing towards private dentistry is still inevi- table’; showing that in the next 15 years plan providers such as DPAS will continue to be very busy indeed. DT Chairman Quentin Skinner cutting the DPAS anniversary cake ‘We’re not confined and we don’t have the problem of constant target making to try and make our business work. And because we don’t, we grow faster’ 9FeatureAugust 1-7, 2011United Kingdom Edition 40% of denture patients are concerned about denture odour1 Recommend Poligrip denture cleansing tablets to help your patients control denture odour That’s because brushing dentures with ordinary toothpaste can scratch denture surfaces3 . And scratched surfaces can lead to bacterial growth4 leading to denture odour. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) images at 240 minutes confirm a significantly higher build up of Streptococcus oralis on denture materials previously cleaned with ordinary toothpaste vs. a non abrasive solution5 Poligrip denture cleansing tablets effectively remove plaque and tough stains6 without scratching3 , to leave dentures clean and fresh. Poligrip Total Care denture cleansing tablets also kill 99.9% of odour causing bacteria. Yet many denture wearers fail to keep their dentures clean2 . References: 1. GlaxoSmithKline data on file, 2010. 2. Dikbas I et al, Int J Prosthodont 2006; 19: 294-8. 3. GlaxoSmithKline data on file Study L2630368 2006. 4. Charman KM et al. Lett Appl Microbiol. 2009; 48(4):472-477. 5. GlaxoSmithKline data on file Study NPD/EU/062/07 2008. 6. GlaxoSmithKline data on file Study USNPD 016 and CS5244. POLIGRIP is a registered trade mark of the GlaxoSmithKline group of companies. S P E A K , E A T A N D S M I L E W I T H C O N F I D E N C E SM1859_12 Poligrip Cleansers Advert - Dental Tribune.indd 1 17/09/2010 17:06