Revolutionizing smiles at OHSU School of Dentistry
Unleashing innovation to transform oral health care
Story by Rhonda Morin, APR
The OHSU School of Dentistry can create a more innovative environment by learning from industry collaborators and designers, and carving out time for creativity. The lessons can then be brought into the classroom and clinics.
Those ideas and many others were shared by industry and dental professionals during a full day of activities—called Innovation Day—hosted by the School of Dentistry on Dec. 4. Employees, students and members of the oral health business community attended the event at the Knight Cancer Research Building.
The morning session centered on conversations between A-dec, a corporate collaborator and dental equipment manufacturer in Newberg, Oregon, and Evolve Collaborative, a Portland-based design agency with expertise in innovative industrial and service design.
Pledge to innovate
It’s essential that people make time to be creative, work with teams to spark ideas and set goals to keep hungry for learning, according to Paul Backett, a founder of Evolve.
“We’re taught in grade school not to be innovative in the U.S.,” said Backett, to the audience.
Left to right: School of Dentistry Dean Ron Sakaguchi, D.D.S., Paul Backett and Marv Nelson of A-dec, and Christian Freissler and Larry Martin of Evolve Collaborative talk about innovative processes during a School of Dentistry event.
OHSU School of Dentistry Dean Ron Sakaguchi, D.D.S., M.S., Ph.D., M.B.A., is committed to changing that mindset within the school by bringing in leaders from the dental and design communities to speak about innovation and creativity.
“Innovation should be creative, fun and playful,” said Sakaguchi. “It’s important to hear from people who are innovators. Their processes could benefit the School of Dentistry’s curriculum and clinics.”
Marv Nelson, president of A-dec, said that in order to flex the innovation muscle, we “must carve out time to trigger ideas.”
Sakaguchi believes learners welcome opportunities to be creative and innovative.
“Students have a lot of energy, curiosity and enthusiasm. We should give them places to be creative without judgement,” he said.
Dental waste woes
More than 23 billion toothbrushes and the plastic that covers them are thrown out each year around the world. In the U.S., the number of discarded toothbrushes could circle the earth—four times.
Dental clinics, like other health care centers, generate large amounts of single-use waste such as gloves, plastic coverings, toothbrushes, dental floss and plastic packaging.
The School of Dentistry is minimizing its daily waste. In the graduate endodontic department alone, paper generated from sterilization pouches filled 92 recycled bins in one year, according to Debbie Taira, a dental assistant in the department.
Taira and her colleagues are part of a clinic sustainability task force, led by Mary Pat Califano, associate director of infection prevention and control. They were on hand during Innovation Day to brief the audience on the types of waste the school recycles and bring attention to the amount used in the dental clinics. The group, consisting of employees and students, is examining how to use fewer plastic bags and chair covers, in addition to the sterilization bags. Their group formed following a clinic hackathon last June focusing on the environment.
Dental students are coming up with ideas too. They launched an innovation club last summer and are tackling ways to be more environmentally friendly in the dental clinics and inspiring students to drive innovation to help improve patient care. The dean’s office is purchasing 3D printers for an upcoming maker space that will be managed by the club.
The inventor
Daniel Kim, D.D.S, is an inventor. He believes his thirst for advancing dentistry began in his childhood. His family couldn’t afford to buy him toys, so he made them—like his favorite snow sled.
“Innovative thinking and ideas are developed; you’re not born with them,” he said during his address at Innovation Day.
Sakaguchi invited Kim to the December event to give employees and students a real-world example of someone who has a thirst for invention.
“For me, innovation is about change and the creation of sustainable and scalable value. It starts with a problem or need,” said Sakaguchi.
Kim invented precision dental devices and holds numerous U.S. patents for dental devices and household tools, while operating a general practice for 40 years in Vancouver, Washington.
Kim said the invention process starts with his patients; how to put them more at ease when they in the dental chair. He’s also looking to maximize efficiencies for his business.
Getting to market
He’s invented tools such as PrepSure, a hand-held device used to guide occlusal clearances between teeth during crown preparation. Kim also created small strips with handles for easier adjustments of composite fillings. To the great relief of his patients, these products prevented injuries to their lips and gums.
The process of bringing an idea to market requires tenacity, patience and lots of traveling, according to Kim. The strips took him more than a year to get into the marketplace. He tried to secure a manufacturer, but couldn’t. Instead, he created a business—called ContactEZ—to launch the products. Kim has since sold the company to DirectAUSA.
Innovation Day was the first in what will be an annual event. Partnering dental employees and learners with industry leaders, designers, inventors, entrepreneurs and new technology will promote creativity and opportunities for growth in the School of Dentistry.
Photos, left to right: School of Dentistry Dean Ron Sakaguchi, D.D.S., Paul Backett and Marv Nelson of A-dec, and Christian Freissler and Larry Martin of Evolve Collaborative talk about innovative processes in their industries during a School of Dentistry event.
