From DSOs entering new states to a state's first dental school, here are 30 dental industry firsts that have taken place so far in 2023, starting with the most recent:
1. Hackensack, N.J.-based Max Surgical Specialty Management appointed Akeyla Brown, DDS, as the company's first clinical director for diversity, equity and inclusion and community engagement.
2. Batesville, Ark.-based Lyon College released plans for the site of its upcoming dental school, which will be the first dental school in the state.
3. SprintRay launched OnX Tough 2, the first resin created for fixed, implant-supported denture prosthetics to earn FDA clearance.
4. Morgantown-based West Virginia University School of Dentistry is adding the state's first pediatric dentistry residency program.
5. Dallas-based MB2 Dental added its first practice in Wisconsin.
6. New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Dental365 acquired its first Pennsylvania practice.
7. The University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry in Oklahoma City introduced the state's first pediatric dentistry residency program.
8. Plantation, Fla.-based Vitana Pediatric & Orthodontic Partners partnered with its first set of dentists in Louisiana.
9. Impress, a clear aligner orthodontics company founded in Barcelona, Spain, opened its first clinic location in New York City.
10. Chicago-based Aspen Dental opened its first Nevada office.
11. Tend opened its first office in Connecticut.
12. Irvine, Calif.-based Pacific Dental Services and Fountain Valley, Calif.-based MemorialCare announced plans to open their first integrated medical-dental office in Irvine, Calif.
13. Frisco, Texas-based Bond Orthodontic Partners added its first Nevada practice.
14. Kira Toulson, DDS, became the first dentist in Baltimore County to utilize the Yomi Robotic Dental System.
15. Irvine, Calif.-based Pacific Dental Services honored the first graduate from its college advancement program.
16. Heera Chang, DDS, MD, was appointed as the first female dental director of Hawaii Dental Service, a dental benefits provider.
17. The Chicago Dental Society named Heather Nash as the organization's seventh executive director and the first female to hold the position.
18. Janice Darko is the first Black female graduate at the The University of Utah School of Dentistry in Salt Lake City.
19. Irving, Texas-based U.S. Oral Surgery Management added its first practices in Pennsylvania and New Mexico.
20. Dental supplier Dentsply Sirona partnered with Smile Train, a cleft-focused nonprofit, and the FDI World Dental Federation to establish the first-ever global protocols for digital cleft treatment.
21. New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Premier Care Dental Management added its first practice in New Hampshire.
22. Jonas Gauthier, DDS, is the first dentist in Louisiana to offer robot-assisted dental implant surgery.
23. Pacific Dental Services and the Workman School of Dental Medicine at High Point (N.C.) University partnered to implement the Epic electronic health record system at the university. The partnership marks the first between a DSO and dental school through Epic's Community Connect program.
24. Allen Robinson, DDS, is first in Washington, D.C., to use the Yomi dental implant robot
25. The University of Alabama at Birmingham's oral oncology clinic is among the first in the Southeast to use augmented reality in head and neck cancer surgery.
26. Implant Dentistry in Sunset Hills, Mo., is the first practice in the state to use the Yomi dental implant robot.
27. Star Community Health in Allentown, Pa., appointed Tonya Cook, DMD, as its first chief dental officer.
28. The University of Alabama at Birmingham's oral oncology clinic was among the first in the Southeast to use augmented reality in head and neck cancer surgery.
29. Tend, a tech-focused dental company, appointed Cynthia Hiskes as its first chief people officer.
30. Carmel, Ind.-based Vista Verde Dental Partners opened its first Britely Dentures + Implants office in Texas.