Interview: 'The UK is a glass market'

Mr Changoer, your product has been on the market for quite some time already. What makes it stand out from all the other new filling materials that are on display here at the BDIA show?
Lekhram Changoer: The idea of developing a biocompatible filling material goes back to 2004, when we were collaborating with scientists from ACTA, which is the Faculty of Dentistry of the University of Amsterdam. The first version featured nanoblast particles, to which we added liquid silica and fluor/ hydroxyapatite. You can find it in shark teeth, for example, that are very resistant to tooth wear. Human enamel only contains 3 per cent of this material.

When we added the silica and luor/ hydroxyapatite, the material became very hard, insofar that it could be also used for permanent restorations. This was what we were searching for.

The real unique feature, however, is that it creates a biofusion with dentine and enamel through the exchange of ions, so you do not have to etch or use a bonding agent to clue to material to the natural material of the teeth.

Glass-based restorative products are materials are not easy to handle. What about your product?
This material is actually for every dentist. Professionals have to be aware of the safety aspects though and that we are creating biofusion instead of just using clue.

Dentine is always moving. When they understand these aspects and start using the product, they will be addicted to it.

Where else outside of the UK do you already distribute the product?
We currently have distribution in countries like Belgium, Luxemburg, the Netherlands, Turkey and the Middle East. France is also a significant market for us. We are a small company but there are many dentists who actually like our product, and we really want them to understand the story behind it.

Why did you decide to finally expand into the UK?
Our glass carbomer technology has actually been used by a few dentists here, to whom we have been shipping the product directly. The UK is a glass market and professionals here are pretty much aware of biocompatible glass-based products, such as glass ionomers. However, these still have the disadvantage for not being suitable for permanent restorations. Therefore, it was nice to get a call from Plandent, who said “We need your product!”.

Being approached by such an established distributor gives me confidence and a good feeling that it will be accepted very well. I foresee the market will develop slowly but the first impressions of the sales people at Plandent are quite good.

Nethertheless, you have to be very careful and to develop the market here from a solid base. Despite of UK dentists being familiar with glass-based material, we still have to explain what glass carbomer technology actually is. Therefore, we are planning to organise a number of training sessions in 2015 in collaboration with the University of Warwick, for example. We also have received interest from a biological dentists group, through which we are going to organise training sessions as well.

Thank you very much.