The Dental Manufacturers of America Inc., or DMA, wishes to congratulate Dr. Jeffcoat for her insightful editorial in the March 2002 issue of JADA, which highlighted the importance of the dentist working with the manufacturer for the successful commercialization of new products.
Additionally, the formation of the JADA Industry Advisory Board to facilitate industry-dentist cooperation aptly complements previous efforts by DMA in the area of new product development. In particular, the DMA, in cooperation with the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research, sponsored and founded the Entrepreneurial Venture Fair, which was held in 2000, 2001 and 2002. These fairs were designed to promote interactions between inventors and representatives of the dental industry.
At the three fairs, 52 inventors/scientists had an opportunity to present to dental manufacturers and distributors the latest innovations that ranged from technologies based on cutting-edge science to improvement in products already on the market. Two indicators of the success of these fairs are the several inventions licensed and the new products commercialized.
The DMA welcomes the formation of the JADA Industry Advisory Board and the recognition of the importance of new products to increasing productivity in the dental office.
The DMA looks forward to working with the new board.
