The dental industry remained busy last year even if their numbers didn’t reflect it.
The Business Journal’s fifth annual list of dental companies showed that OC employee headcount stayed about the same at 5,729 as of July, lower than the 11% jump on last year’s list. It’s still an improvement from 2020 during the height of the pandemic when firms reported a 6% drop and an estimated 95% of the nation’s dental practices shut down.
This week’s list on dental-focused businesses is a varied collection of makers of implants and braces, dental support organizations, software firms servicing dental practices, as well as dentistry-focused device makers.
Companywide, their employee count decreased slightly to 140,909, compared to a 2.7% increase last year.
The seven companies that reported revenue collectively saw a 2.5% increase to $6.7 billion in 2023; a year ago, they increased 4.4%.
Glidewell retained the top spot with 1,500 employees. For more on how Jim Glidewell founded his company, see the Leader Board on page 49.
Retaining No. 2 spot was PDS Health, which saw its local headcount climb 7% to 1,260. For more on the big ongoing changes at the company, see the story on page 1.
Biggest Growth
The biggest OC headcount increase was 30% to 78 employees at Irvine-based Pacific Companies Inc., which recruits employees for dental services.
Pacific Companies said there is a looming shortage of doctors in the United States in a recent post from its newsletter, citing a report from the Association of American Medical Colleges.
Another fast grower was Brea-based maker of dental products Envista Holdings Corp. (NYSE: NVST), where employee count increased 8% to 745; companywide, it decreased 2% to 12,800 employees.
Envista last year saw revenue decrease 14% to $3 billion. Its first-quarter revenue increased 0.4% to $623.6 million, missing analyst consensus estimate for $634.1 million. Its stock price has fallen in half in the past year to around $17 a share and a $2.9 billion market cap.
The company said the first quarter “provided challenging” as it’s prioritizing “long-term investments to accelerate growth and drive profitability.”
Paul Keel took over as chief executive the same day it reported first-quarter results on May 1, replacing Amir Aghdaei, who remains as senior advisor.
The company announced even more key leadership changes last month, appointing Eric Hammes as its new chief financial officer, effective August 8.
Envista also appointed Stefan Nilsson, president of Nobel Biocare and Veronica Acurio, president of Ormco. Both make up the company’s specialty products and technologies unit.
“It is a pleasure to welcome this trio of successful leaders to Envista,” Keel said in a statement.
“Each brings experience in dental along with a proven track record of continuous improvement, leading with purpose and creating value for all stakeholders. Today’s announcement positions Envista even more strongly to advance our mission of partnering with dental professionals to improve patient lives.”
Envista is scheduled to announce its second-quarter earnings on August 7.
New COO
Planet DDS is also welcoming new execs to its C-suite.
The Irvine-based dental software provider appointed Matt Zelen as its new chief operating officer on July 30. Zelen held former leadership roles at Salesforce and Oracle and will help lead customer success initiatives.
Last month, Planet DDS made an announcement about its new launchpad program to invest in emerging dental and orthodontic groups.
“The launchpad program represents a strategic investment in the future of dentistry,” Chief Executive Eric Giesecke said in a statement. “By supporting the growth of practices, we’re enhancing the health of communities at large and helping to drive the industry forward.”
The company’s headcount increased 4% to 50. It had the largest increase on the list companywide, growing 17% to 328.
Declines
Irvine-based DGSHAPE, a Roland DG Group Company saw a drop from nine to seven people.
“The difference between the total number of OC-based dental employees reported this year compared to last year was due to the fact that we transferred employees to another department within the company,” the company said.
In May, the company announced a new addition to its line of dental products and accessories. It said the 3DX Dental 3D Printer Bundle can produce dentures, provisional crowns and bridges, custom clear retainers and more.
