N L Y A L S O N F E S SI O O R T A L P N E D PUBLISHED IN DUBAI www.dental-tribune.me July-August 2021 | No. 4, Vol. 11 Interview: “The mission of the Straumann Group is to serve dental professionals worldwide” By Dental Tribune International At the Straumann Group, Charbel Saad is the area sales manager for the central and eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa region. In an inter- view in light of AEEDC 2021, he gave insight into the current state of the Middle Eastern market, how it is af- fected by the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and what is to come after it. Also, he discussed Straumann’s exhibition highlights at this year’s event. Mr Saad, how has the pandemic in- fl uenced the market, and what has been done so far for its recovery? The fi rst phase of the COVID-19 pandemic hit the dental market hard. However, since dentistry is by default one of the best profes- sions in infection control–even pre- COVID-19–it was easier for the den- tists to resume their work in many markets. The market is recovering slowly but, since the dental market is only one part of the economy, we need to wait until the end of the pan- demic to assess the damage caused on branches which were hit hard by the pandemic and are still suffering, and to see how the whole impact will affect the dental market. dan, and I am sure others will follow in the future. What brands from the Straumann Group family are going to be launched soon in Middle East? In addition to the continuous launch of new products from the exist- ing brands, two major brands are planned to be launched in the fourth quarter of 2021 and the fi rst quarter of 2022, after local product regis- tration is accomplished. The fi rst brand is a new implant system called NUVO—a new brand of attractively priced implants made in Brazil. This initiative broadens our path into the lower value segment and enables us to offer high-quality solutions for patients who have not been able to afford implant treatment. The sec- ond brand is ClearCorrect, which was founded back in 2006 by a den- tist from the US who had over 400 patients who needed to fi nish their clear aligner treatment, but no one to make the aligners for them. So, Dr Willis Pumphrey went the extra mile for his patients: he founded his own company to make aligners for them. Today, ClearCorrect has served tens of thousands of dentists all over the world and has delivered literally millions of aligners to their patients. How important is the Middle East- ern market for the Straumann Group? The Middle Eastern market has al- ways had, and still has, a strategic im- portance for the Straumann Group, which has invested in many projects in the Middle East in the medium and long term. Our last project was the inauguration of the Straumann Group subsidiary in Amman in Jor- What is their potential in the mar- ket, and why do you think they have this potential? As you know the Straumann Group is the leading company in the im- plant dentistry. We know the market needs and we believe that NUVO is a necessity product for the dental mar- ket. With this brand, together with the other existing brands, the Strau- mann Group will be able to serve all market segments. All patients will benefi t and have access to the reli- ability, long-term success and, most of all, peace of mind provided by the different Straumann Group dental implants brands. The mission of the Straumann Group is to serve dental professionals worldwide. That has been proved in the last decades, and the situation will continue in the fu- ture. It was the market requirements and the need of professionals that made the Straumann Group take the decision to enter into the orthodon- tic business by acquiring 100% of the ClearCorrect company. We see in the orthodontic business the same need for the services, reliability and long-term success that we are offer- ing with our multiple dental implant brands. The past and present success of the Straumann Group show that we will be able to fulfi l all the mar- ket’s expectations in this area. Looking ahead to the post-COV- ID-19 period, what is planned in the Middle Eastern region? The dedication of the Straumann Group to training and education continued during the COVID-19 pe- riod. Where possible, we are already conducting courses under local safety requirements. In addition, the Straumann Group has organ- ised and still offers a large number of webinars, and if we add the number of webinars and courses conducted through our scientifi c partner, the International Team for Implantol- ogy, this shows how decisive and im- portant training and education are for the Straumann Group. We have used the COVID-19 crisis to update our training and education hard- ware in the Middle East, and once By acquiring ClearCorrect to enter the orthodontic market, the Straumann Group has added to its extensive product portfolio. Charbel Saad the ban on gatherings is lifted in each particular market, we can start immediately with our educational programmes, training sessions and launch events. For example, we plan on launch activities around our newest implant—Straumann TLX— sometime around autumn. TLX is a new tissue-level implant which has been perfected for immediacy and is an excellent solution for all other indications to suit the dentist’s pre- ferred treatment protocol—ranging from immediate to conventional placement and loading. The Strau- mann TLX Implant System perfectly complements our bone-level BLX implant system. Both systems use one common drill set and TorcFit connection for maximum compat- ibility with minimum investment. The Straumann BLX implant system is a next-generation solution for con- fi dence beyond immediacy. It builds on the success of the company’s api- cally tapered Straumann BLT implant line, which continues to grow strongly and still offers signifi cant potential. The new BLX addresses the fully ta- pered implant segment, which is the fastest-growing segment and now ac- counts for one in every four implants placed. Straumann BLX has been designed for immediacy, and it also offers an The BLX implant system excellent solution for all other indi- cations to suit the dentist’s preferred treatment protocol, ranging from im- mediate to conventional placement and loading. The intelligent implant concept allows for dynamic bone management and is designed for im- mediate protocols in all bone types. Having already received very posi- tive results and feedback, Straumann BLX combines an innovative design for optimised stability with the high- performance Roxolid metal alloy and the SLActive surface. This creates an implant system that offers new levels of confi dence—for immediacy and beyond.