Forward thinking sisters who are changing the face of caries management hosted a ‘meet the founders’ session at IDS on 25 March.
According to the World Health Organization, tooth decay is one of the most pervasive global diseases. It affects around 2.3 billion people worldwide – around 30% of the population. The condition is non-communicable and importantly, preventable. Despite this, its high prevalence continues to be a significant public health concern.
Meet dentists Drs Haley and Goly Abivardi, sisters who were so troubled by the poor oral health of children from low-income families in their home city of Zurich, they built a business dedicated to pain-free, regenerative, and accessible dentistry.
As part of their prevention focus they introduced a treatment for early-stage caries which is able to regenerate enamel. This early-intervention, non-invasive and pain free treatment has changed the way preventive dentistry is being practiced by forward-looking practitioners. The vVARDIS technologies draw on the sisters’ combined 30 years of dental and entrepreneurial experience and over 25 years of laboratory and clinical research.
The hero product at the centre of the portfolio is Curodont Repair, the first biomimetic system for treating early caries lesions, commonly referred to as ‘watch areas’. Curodont Repair’s P11-4 Peptide Technology is for the first time able to regenerate enamel, offering a treatment for those early lesions that are otherwise left untreated or drilled. All this through a non-invasive, painless, and easy application protocol, with a 90%+ success rate in stopping and regressing initial caries lesions. It is suitable for all patients, including children.
Building a fear free practice
The vVARDIS story is rooted in 2003 when Drs Haley and Goly opened their first fear-free, walk-in dental clinic in Zurich with a US$3m bank loan. Prior to that they had led a public paediatric dental clinic with links to local primary schools.
Dr Goly explains: ‘We were treating thousands of children, many from low-income families. For us both, as dentists and mothers, it was painful to see how poor oral health was affecting them – mostly as a result of a lack of awareness, but also because of anxiety about going to the dentist. This was the motivation to create a “fear free” dental clinic chain in Zurich, with no patients and in the city with the highest density of dentists.’
The clinic proved to be an outstanding success, prompting the sisters to launch more, both in Switzerland, but also across and outside of Europe (India, Russia, Dubai, and Japan).
Biomimetic technology
Dr Haley takes up the story: ‘Next to our Zurich clinic, we also ran a dental hygienist school where we conducted clinical studies. It’s there that we learned about this amazing biomimetic technology that can regenerate enamel, mimicking the way enamel is created in the first place – now trademarked under Curodont. The first targeted, regenerative treatment against early-stage dental decay, it does not require a drill or injection, does not stain, or taste bad.’
Dr Goly adds: ‘Enamel is the hardest tissue in the body and is the only one that is not comprised of living cells – that’s the reason enamel cannot regenerate itself. The molecules/peptides in Curodont Repair are comprised of amino acids and are able to penetrate the enamel to the depth of the lesion and for the first time regenerate the enamel. It is like the tooth is able to regrow and do its own filling, naturally. It’s truly revolutionary.’
Curodont Repair does not contain fluoride but the technology is compatible with fluoride varnishes, the two are complementary. While fluoride is preventive, Curodont is a biomimetic treatment and its mode of action is different. Fluoride does not penetrate deep into the enamel and only stays on the surface (or minimally below it) whereas the Curodont technology penetrates the depth of the caries lesion formed by demineralisation of the enamel. In addition, fluoride does not regenerate enamel, it hardens the surface. By comparison the Curodont technology regenerates the hydroxyapatite which was lost when the caries disease started demineralisation below the surface.
Mother Nature knows best
vVARDIS and Curodont are not only the result of years’ of experience and a deep-seated desire to help people’s dental health, but also the result of the sisters’ upbringing. Their father was a natural scientist.
‘He always told us that Mother Nature knows best,’ says Dr Goly, ‘And that’s something we continue to live and practice by.’
Curodont Repair’s biomimetic P11-4 Peptide Technology has been in clinical practice for more than 10 years, with hundreds of thousands of patients successfully and safely treated. To date it has been included in more than 230 publications, including meta-analysis and peer-reviewed clinical study. The technology is also increasingly being included in the teachings at top dental schools worldwide.
Saving patients’ teeth
Says Haley: ‘Until now dental practitioners must remove two structures to treat tooth decay; imagine if this was no longer the case. Curodont Repair removes a huge barrier for dentistry and allows professionals to treat decay more easily. It takes five minutes to apply, and hygienists can do it as part of their workflow.’
And she stresses it could be the answer to the majority of patients with lesions which are left untreated. ‘Up to 85% of patients sitting in the dentist’s chair have between three and five early caries lesions located in the enamel and still not cavitated, but we only treat 5% of those, the rest we mark as watch areas and send the patients home.
‘If those patients don’t come back to us, those lesions are only going to get bigger and that can lead to risk of severe secondary diseases. Today, thanks to our technology, if diagnosed in this early stage, the caries can be stopped and reversed and the natural tooth structure can be rebuilt, enabling patients to save their teeth.’
Expanding accessibility
The pair’s ambition now is to expand availability and give access to this ground-breaking technology to everyone, including communities which do not necessarily have easy access to affordable dental care.
‘Curodont Repair is so easily accessible to all kinds of communities. We have already seen it help low-income patients in the US and Europe and it’s this that gives us the drive to move on and do more good,’ says Dr Haley.
Drs Haley and Goly presented their innovation at the International Dental Show (IDS) – the leading global trade fair for the dental community. A key platform for showcasing innovation and market trends, it took place in Cologne, Germany from 25-29 March 2025. They hosted a ‘meet the founders’ event on Tuesday 25 March. Delegates visited the company’s experiential booth to learn more about vVARDIS and how Curodont Repair could change the face of dentistry as we know it.
This article is sponsored by vVARDIS.
