LOS ANGELES, Aug. 8, 2014 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ — Western Dental, one of the nation’s leaders in accessible, affordable oral healthcare, named two senior leaders in dentistry to their organization. Ronald E. Inge, D.D.S., a nationally respected dental professional, is named Chief Dental Officer and Louis J. Amendola, D.D.S. will lead the company’s new Office of Oral Health Care Research as Senior Vice President of Clinical Affairs.

Chief Dental Officer, Dr. Inge, will be responsible for guiding and enhancing Western Dental’s clinical quality programs. Western Dental has entered a new phase of development in its more than 180 affiliated clinics throughout California, Arizona and Nevada, as well as supporting its affiliated dental group Brident Dental & Orthodontics in Texas. Dr. Inge is a well-known and esteemed professional with over 33 years of dental experience, and 18 years of innovative leadership within the dental industry. He has championed efforts to publicize advanced solutions for many of the current challenges to improving oral health care.

Dr. Amendola, a multi-skilled dental professional with more than 30 years of experience in the dental field both as a practicing dentist and as a leader of Western Dental’s quality management team, will lead the company’s clinical affairs as Senior Vice President. In this new role, Dr. Amendola will head the development of standards of clinical practice and research projects for improvement in oral health care. He will focus on furthering strategic projects, enabling Western Dental to move oral health care forward, while bringing cutting-edge knowledge and training to Western Dental’s clinical staff and office.

“I am pleased to welcome Dr. Inge to the Western Dental family and proud to have Dr. Amendola lead our new clinical department,” said Simon Castellanos, CEO of Western Dental. “I am confident that their combined experience and institutional knowledge, as well as their unsurpassed integrity will be immense assets as we continue to build the exceptional quality of care and service that we provide to our patients every day.”

Prior to joining Western Dental, Dr. Inge was the Dental Director and Vice President of Professional Services at Delta Dental of Washington. Before Delta Dental, Dr. Inge held numerous leadership positions for the American Dental Association (ADA), Aetna Dental, PMI Dental Health Plan/Delta Dental of California, and DentiCare of California. While in these roles he provided strategic leadership in policy development and implementation. In addition, he was instrumental in conveying the importance of medical/dental integration, as well as initiating studies of integrated care models between medical and oral health. Dr. Inge also has 14 years of private clinical experience.

“I am honored to join the Western Dental family. The company’s vision to be the industry leader in delivering quality oral health care is in perfect alignment with my vision as a dental professional,” said Dr. Inge.

Dr. Inge holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Biology from Stanford University and a Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of California Los Angeles. He has earned executive leadership accreditations from Seattle University, Stanford University and Harvard University. Dr. Inge is a member of the American Dental Association, California Dental Association, the Santa Fe Group, and the Dr. Edwards B. Shils Entrepreneurial Fund.

Dr. Amendola has been influential in directing Western Dental’s highly regarded quality assurance program and has supervised many activities to improve the oral health of Western Dental’s patients and enrollees. Before joining Western Dental, Dr. Amendola maintained a private practice, practiced in large group dental practice, and led quality management teams for dental benefits providers in California and neighboring states. He is known for successfully integrating quality assurance into dental benefits programs and large group dental practice operations.

Dr. Amendola will also work closely with universities, starting with the University of California, San Francisco, in a series of innovative research projects, which will lead to the development of new standards of care for oral health and the advancement of evidence-based dentistry.

Dr. Amendola holds a Bachelor of Science from the University of California, Irvine, and a Doctor of Dental Surgery from the University of Southern California. Over the years, he has presented numerous dental education courses on a variety of topics including pediatric dentistry, periodontics, implant dentistry, endodontics, diagnosis and treatment planning, and risk avoidance.

ABOUT WESTERN DENTAL:
One of the nation’s largest dental providers, Western Dental (with its affiliate, Brident Dental & Orthodontics) is the leader in accessible, affordable oral health care, providing comprehensive business support services to and serving more than 750,000 patients annually in over 180 affiliated clinics throughout California, Arizona, Nevada, as well in Texas (operating as Brident Dental & Orthodontics). Informed by the latest research, Western Dental is committed to delivering high-quality general, orthodontic and specialty dental services in state-of-the art facilities. For more information please visit WesternDental.com and Brident.com.

All of Western Dental’s services are backed by a unique Quality Assurance Management System (QAMS) that electronically monitors all patient visits, treatments, dental staff and clinical performance to enable high-quality dental care.