Patterson Dental Company has announced that it has extended its exclusive distribution agreement with Sirona Dental Systems GmbH through September 2004 for Sirona's CEREC 3(R) chairside dental restorative system and the new CEREC inLab(R) system.
Under terms of the agreement, Patterson will remain the exclusive U.S. distributor for Sirona's CEREC equipment. Patterson has been the exclusive U.S. distributor for these advanced technology dental systems since 1996.
The CEREC 3 is the industry's only CAD/CAM restorative system for chairside use in dental offices. It enhances office productivity by enabling dentists to complete single-tooth restorations, including crowns, inlays and onlays, in one visit. The CEREC inLab system is designed for restoration processes performed in dental labs.
Peter L. Frechette, president and chief executive officer, commented: "We are extremely pleased to be continuing our close working relationship with Sirona. The CEREC 3 and CEREC inLab systems enable dental offices and labs to increase their productivity and improve clinical outcomes for patients. Reflecting these benefits, our CEREC sales grew steadily in fiscal 2002 and were particularly robust in the fourth quarter ended April 2002. We believe the future outlook for this technologically sophisticated equipment is very promising."
Jost C. Fischer, president and chief executive officer of Sirona Dental Systems, added: "As our exclusive distributor in the U.S. and our primary distributor in Canada, Patterson has done an outstanding job of educating dentists and dental labs about the multiple benefits of our CEREC system. We look forward to continuing our partnership with Patterson in the coming years as we expand the North American market presence of these two important product lines."
