In this episode, Howard Farran is joined by Ellen Bösl, Vice President of Research and Development at Solventum, where she leads the strategy and execution of the Global Dental Solutions R&D organization. A chemical engineer by training with a 25-year career spanning Solventum and 3M — including R&D leadership across MedSurg, Transportation, and Electronics — Ellen brings a systems-level lens to one of the profession's most stubborn problems: oral health inequity. The conversation confronts why oral health remains one of the most unequal corners of healthcare despite unprecedented advances in technology, materials, and knowledge. Ellen and Howard dig into the root causes that rarely get discussed, whether inequity is best understood as a clinical, business, or policy challenge, and which innovations genuinely broaden access versus those that merely sound impressive. They also explore the gaps between urban, rural, private, public, and corporate dentistry, what frontline providers actually need, and what realistic progress could look like decades from now.

Episode #1708 : Dentistry Uncensored with Howard Farran, Howard welcomes Ellen Bösl — Vice President of R&D at Solventum — to tackle a question the industry doesn't ask often enough: with more technology and knowledge than ever, why is oral health still so deeply unequal?

Drawing on 25 years of innovation leadership, Ellen separates the technologies that truly expand access from the ones that just make good headlines.

🎧 A candid, big-picture look at equity, innovation, and the future of dental care.

#DentistryUncensored #OralHealthEquity #DentalInnovation #Solventum #AccessToCare #DentalResearch