Branam Oral Health Technologies has started shipping products designed to reduce tooth decay in children to pharmacies and drug and food stores around the world.

Dr. Steven Branam, a local pediatric dentist, founded the company in 2008 to produce and market a healthier pacifier after numerous national companies declined interest in his patented product.

Steven Branam, left, and Mick Janness show some of products made by Branam Oral Health Technologies.

After witnessing the ill effects of chronic pacifier use in his pediatric dental practice, Branam developed a design for an orthodontic pacifier to promote proper oral alignment, while reducing the risk of jaw deformities and bacterial and ear infections.

“People are going to use pacifiers, so we’re making products that are safer for infants and children to use,” Branam said. “Research shows that children using conventional pacifiers have a 50 percent greater chance of developing an ear infection.”

His company is producing and distributing the Ortho-Gibby brand of one-piece pacifiers that won’t separate as some conventional ones do, Branam said. Pacifiers are sold in packages of two. One package is for babies up to age one and another is for ages one to two for $10 retail.

The pacifiers are produced in a “clean room” environment meeting the highest EPA standards by a medical device company in Michigan, reported Mick Janness, who became CEO of Branam in 2008. More than 12,000 pacifiers have been produced with up to 6,000 additional cases coming by the end of July, he said.

“We’re a reactionary society that treats the problems rather than preventing them. Preventing tooth decay and other oral health problems is the whole purpose of Dr. Branam’s vision,” Janness said.

Tooth decay is the No. 1 chronic childhood disease in the U.S. It affects 28 percent of all children under age 6, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Dr. Branam also has developed gels, toothpastes, and healthy snacks for babies and children all made with xylitol, a natural sweetener with bacteria- and cavity-reducing qualities, according to industry sources. The snacks are marketed as VitaSnax and the mouth rinses as NutraSplash, both trademarked brands of Branam.

Branam’s oral health care products are being packaged and shipped locally by Kenakore Solutions, a supply chain logistics company based in Perrysburg that serves various industries. Kenakore provides Branam with a complete inventory management system, said Kathleen Krueger, president and CEO of the company, which has 25 to 30 employees.

Lake Erie Wholesale Medical is selling Branam’s products to thousands of independent pharmacies in the U.S. and Canada. More than 2,000 stores have already expressed interest in the products, said Mike Holmes, CEO of the company based in the Toledo area.

Branam Oral Health Technologies has not achieved such success on its own without the help of outside local resources, including $1 million in angel and venture capital investments, Janness said.

Branam connected with the people at the Regional Growth Partnership (RGP) and participated in its Launch program. It provided business assistance to the startup firm and recommended it to Rocket Ventures.

“Branam represents a company that has received all of RGP’s services, starting with the Launch program, which led to receiving an Ignite grant and Rocket Ventures fund investment,” said Greg Knudson, vice president of technology at RGP and director of Rocket Ventures.

Branam was awarded a $50,000 Ignite grant to accelerate its technology and launch the company in 2008. It received $250,000 from the Rocket Ventures fund in 2009 as part of an ongoing $1million investment program, Knudson said.

Tags: Branam Oral Health Technologies

This entry was posted on Friday, July 2nd, 2010 at 12:00 am and is filed under Entrepreneurs, Health Care, Toledo Business Link.
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