Corporate Profile: Q&A with the Palodex Group

The dental industry and the oral health care arena have been changing rapidly in the past 5 to 10 years. What do you see as the most significant of those changes?
Without a doubt, one of the areas that has seen the most significant change in recent years is the digital imaging marketplace. With double-digit growth in this segment, it’s an exciting arena that shows few signs of slowing down. One of the main reasons for the growth and change has been advancements in technology. The digital revolution began in X-ray about 10 years ago, but due to its overall costs, growth was limited.  As this technology has matured and improved, we are now realizing its benefits and seeing its effects.

A startling fact is that digital X-ray systems have only been installed in about half of the dental practices in the U.S. Dental practitioners have not abandoned conventional radiography, and many have questioned the need to make the change to digital radiography.  However, we are now seeing the shift to not only digital, but 3D technologies as well.

In what ways-both internally and in dealing with the broader oral health care marketplace-has your company responded to these changes?
Investing in technology is paramount in this ever-changing market segment. One common misconception when talking about technology is that people often associate technology with hardware or equipment advancements. While the hardware or equipment advancements have given the industry the ability to enter the digital arena, software technology also is helping to forge a new area in patient care. These technological advancements in tandem are changing how practitioners treat their patients. Not that many years ago Instrumentarium Dental and Soredex referred to themselves as “Imaging Experts” in the X-ray field.  We have had to expand our horizon and now prefer to call ourselves “Diagnostic Imaging Experts.”  The reason for this change is that we supply software with all of our X-ray systems. This software aides a practitioner in image diagnostics and treatment planning.

 
What do you see as your biggest responsibility to the marketplace, and why does your choice rank as your #1 priority?
To positively impact patient care is by far our biggest responsibility.  Being involved in health care, our dedication and attention to detail has helped us build relationships with our customers. Most people will agree that health care is a noble profession and not merely a job. We are very passionate about what we do, and this is evident in talking to our employees. We have a close working relationship both internally and externally that helps us provide and maintain a strong relationship with the end-users we serve.  We strive to enhance their ability to provide the best dental care possible.

PaloDEx operates under two separate brands on the global health care technology market. Our company’s strong product brands, SOREDEX and INSTRUMENTARIUM DENTAL, have been highly regarded by dental professionals for several decades. It has been our investment in both hardware and software technologies that has enabled Instrumentarium Dental and Soredex to become so successful. The products we develop and manufacture also represent the highest in technological excellence and many of our applications have been pathfinders for other manufacturers.

There are many challenges facing dentistry and oral health care today. How is your company helping to resolve them?
We want to be the best partner and the most reliable choice for dental professionals and provide them imaging solutions that facilitate correct care decisions, improving the quality of dental care.

To do this, we have invested a considerable amount of time and energy researching new technologies such as cone beam imaging, as well as working to increase efficiencies and workflow to affect reduced operating costs for our end-users. By offering high quality diagnostic imaging solutions that aid in making the correct treatment decisions, we aim to be the best partner and the most reliable choice for dental professionals.