Dentsply Sirona’s 2018 CSR Report shares how the Company and its employees are giving back to communities, supporting local initiatives, and working to improve oral health globally. This article is a selection of examples.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is commonly defined as the principle that an organization voluntarily takes into account the effects of its actions with regard to communities, society, and the environment. Dentsply Sirona’s Corporate Social Responsibility Platform connects this responsibility to its overall mission for improving dental care by stating: “As an international company, Dentsply Sirona’s footprint is global. The Company has a responsibility to be a good corporate citizen and key contributor to the future of dental care as well as a partner in improving the overall wellbeing of the global community.”

There are many ways in which the Company and its employees give back by starting locally. One example is the York Headquarter location’s continuing support for the United Way of York County. The United Way helps to provide financial stability, educational programs for kids, training programs for skill development, and access to healthcare services for those in need. In January of 2018, Dentsply Sirona was recognized for organizing an incredibly successful United Way Campaign in which more than half of the employees at the York campus participated in fundraising events.

Dental missions to improve access to dental care

Dentsply Sirona also looks beyond its local communities to support dental missions that deliver dental services to those in need and where access is limited. In November, the Company worked with the Shanghai Beautiful Mind Foundation, providing dental treatment to 45 children and their families as part of its Caring Heart Program. The program focuses on helping children who are suffering from a major illness, have lost parental care, or have been victims of domestic violence, to access long-term mental and physical care.

In July, Dentsply Sirona joined the well-known NGO Doctors Without Borders for a mission into the Amazon rainforest in Brazil to visit some of the country’s indigenous population and provide access to healthcare. The team performed 3,225 dental treatments and treated 1,015 patients during the 34-day expedition. A CEREC SpeedFire supplied with energy from a generator on a boat even produced full-zirconia crowns in the middle of the rainforest.

Another mission aimed at delivering critical dental care took place in Uganda. Dentsply Sirona supported Dr. Izchak Barzilay, DDS, and his team of prosthodontics specialists from Toronto, Canada’s Bridge to Health Medical and Dental working together with a Ugandan NGO, Kihefo. Over the course of two weeks, several thousand patients were cared for. Bridge to Health Medical and Dental currently works with underserved rural communities near Kabale, Uganda and Kisumu, Kenya. On this mission to Uganda, Dr. Barzilay and his team fabricated roughly 66 partial and complete dentures transforming smiles that have an effect that goes beyond just the physical and cosmetic. Another highlight included the placing of two dental implants in the field in order to help two patients avoid partial edentulism. Thanks to the success of this pilot program, there are plans to expand this service on a future mission in the summer of 2019.

Community support for the holiday season

As the weather turned colder, the Charlotte office joined local station WSOC TV Channel 9 for a coat drive for needy families. Employees really stepped up to meet the challenge and their generosity and care for the community was evident. The Dentsply Sirona office was far and away the largest corporate donor of coats. 

Across the ocean in Barcelona, Spain, Dentsply Sirona’s Iberia office helped a group of local school kids in their effort to raise money for research into cancers affecting children. To support the Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, the schoolkids crafted origami stars known as “Shuriken” to symbolize the fight against cancer. The Dentsply Sirona office then sent a Christmas letter to its clients explaining the action to raise money along with a personalized Shuriken made by the students.

Employee-led initiatives 

In the Benelux region, the Company sponsored two employees in their efforts to raise money and awareness through sport. Sabine van Laarhoven, a Customer Services Representative, participated in the Run for Lyme to honor her friend Susan, who suffers from Lyme disease and underwent stem cell treatment. 

On March 11, 2018, Raymond Hovens, a marketing product specialist for Wellspect, with his cycling team and many others, mounted 300 spinning bikes in Rotterdam in an effort to raise money for children with bowel problems. A total of 486,766 euros was raised. The money will be spent on research into finding a solution.

German cycle-cross championships

At the beginning of 2018, over several chilly January days, Bensheim became the site of the German cycle-cross championships. Over 5,300 spectators watched men and women at the highest level compete in this physically demanding discipline. 

The competition helped to promote the region and as its largest employer, Dentsply Sirona was the main sponsor of the event. Michael Geil, Managing Director of the Bensheim site, who presented the winners with their bouquets, noted that, “Dentsply Sirona has a tradition of supporting local top events. Helping to bring such a high level contest to Bensheim means a lot to us.” The event was a huge success and local dentist Kirsten Endres achieved an outstanding sixth place in the competition adding an extra reason for the local community to be excited.

Read more about the Uganda Brigade here.