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Profile in Oral Health Trisha E. O'Hehir, RDH, BS, Editorial Director, Hygienetown Magazine

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Shelby Kahl, RDH




Rowpar Pharmaceutical's history of partnering with dental hygienists has led to some of the most amazing developments in oral health care.




Dr. Perry Ratcliff, a periodontist/researcher; his wife Bobbie Ratcliff, RDH, MBA; and a small group of leading professionals started Rowpar Pharmaceuticals in 1991. Rowpar's goal was to bring to consumers a better way to practice oral health using a newly patented toothpaste and oral rinse system incorporating a safe and highly effective antibacterial agent, chlorine dioxide. Chlorine dioxide has been used for years in water treatment plants and food processing, but can be unstable when stored. To overcome this stability problem, some chlorine dioxide products require a two-step process and use a liquid activator to change the pH of the product. The mixing of the two products must be done just before use.

After several years of work, Dr. Ratcliff was able to stabilize chlorine dioxide into both the toothpaste and the oral rinse, making it an effective oral health system. Rowpar holds 17 patents on the chlorine dioxide technology he developed. CloSYS is balanced at a pH of 7, so as it enters the oral cavity, it buffers the pH of the mouth, changes the pH of the mouth and releases the chlorine dioxide gas that kills bacteria. Rowpar products are all made in the United States, in New York, California, and Colorado.

Originally, the name of the toothpaste was RetarDent and the oral rinse was RetarDex. RetarDex is still used for Rowpar products that are sold in the UK. These names were changed to "CloSYS" (for the chlorine dioxide system) for the products that are sold in the United States. Rowpar Pharmaceuticals is still owned by a small group of private shareholders, including the original founders.

Shelby Kahl, RDH, is an educational specialist for Rowpar Pharmaceuticals. She lives in Colorado where she owns her own innovative dental hygiene practice offering traditional maintenance care as well as Perioscopy-aided periodontal therapy. In addition to clinical practice, Shelby enjoys translating research findings to practical applications for both the professional and the consumer. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Shelby about Rowpar's CloSYS products and her experiences with them.

Shelby, tell me a bit about your practice.
Kahl: I currently own and operate an integrative dental hygiene practice on the Front Range of Northern Colorado. My contributions to the profession evolve around the conceptual idea of oral health and its integral role in the diagnostics of systemic health. My biggest strength is my passion for the health of my clients and the future of the industry as a whole. I am an advocate for change, challenging today's professional to participate in the future of collaborative medical and dental practice through preventive and therapeutic systemic wellness. I believe the drive to evolve the profession of dental hygiene into an integrated complimentary role is key to the future of the dental hygiene profession.

When were you first introduced to the Rowpar products?
Kahl: I started using the Rowpar products in the early 1990s when I worked with Dr. Dennis Thompson, a periodontist in Denver, Colorado. When I began using the toothpaste, oral rinse and breath spray system with patients, I found patients were very compliant because they were seeing whiter smiles and feeling kissable. I was able to measure clinical results with reduced bleeding and redness of the periodontal tissues and I didn't see any side effects such as burning, irritation and drying commonly found with traditional oral care products. I've been using the three-product CloSYS Oral Health System at home ever since. When patients enjoy and use CloSYS products that really work, I'm happy.

I noticed that the CloSYS toothpaste doesn't foam like other toothpastes. Why is that?
Kahl: This product is a non-foaming toothpaste. It does not contain the detergent sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS), common in most toothpastes, that causes the foaming, but can be irritating to many patients. The link between SLS and aphthous ulcers is pretty well documented. Instead of abrasive and irritating detergents, CloSYS chemically attacks stains and biofilm with chlorine dioxide, which produces the impressive results without some of the negative side effects.
The First President of Rowpar Pharmaceuticals


Bobbie Ratcliff, RDH, MBA, is an accomplished dental hygienist with a long and distinguished career including clinical practice, teaching, writing, coaching and a corporate position. In 1976, she and her husband Dr. Perry Ratcliff designed the Periodontal Expanded Functions curriculum as directed by the Arizona State Board of Dental Examiners. They provided instruction and guidance for the many years that program was being offered.
Despite a very successful career in dental hygiene, Bobbie had, like many women, the belief that she couldn't understand math. To overcome this she took math classes at Scottsdale Community College. She started with the lowest math course and continued on to complete calculus. She did this with outstanding grades in every math course the college offered, a unique accomplishment that earned her an award from the college .Having conquered math, Bobbie was ready to tackle the MBA program. Dental professionals know so much about science and clinical care, but so little about business that Bobbie felt an MBA would be a good compliment to her dental hygiene career. She graduated in December 1988 from the MBA program at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Around the same time, Dr. Perry Ratcliff, a voracious reader and researcher, whose gift to dentistry has been his ability to synthesize complex scientific material and bring them to a clinical level, was intrigued by chlorine dioxide technology. He was able to see how this technology could improve oral health. The next logical step was to start a company that would bring chlorine dioxide products to clinicians and consumers. Having just completed her MBA, Ratcliff accepted the position as President of Rowpar Pharmaceuticals, a position she held from 1991 until her retirement in 2000. During that time, she faced many challenges of establishing a new company. The technology was there, but Bobbie had to establish manufacturing including packaging, stability of the product in the packaging, maintenance of shelf life and other factors. She was also instrumental in the introduction of the product to the professional community, gaining cooperation, support and personal testimonials to the benefits of the products. The biggest challenge was of course, acquiring financial investors and moving the company to profitability, which she did very successfully.

Many hygienists across the country and the world have learned from Bobbie. She is a life-long learner and she has commented that completing her MBA degree was a good decision, beyond her experience as a company president, because it changed the way she looks at life and how she makes personal decisions.

How do CloSYS products work to improve oral health?
Kahl: CloSYS products can kill 99 percent of harmful bacteria in 10 seconds and can neutralize the volatile sulfur compounds responsible for bad breath. VSCs also increase the permeability of the junctional epithelium, so the CloSYS products protects against the transfer of bacterial toxins across the junctional epithelium. This leads to less bleeding and redness and better oral health.

I'm familiar with the toothpaste, oral rinse and spray, but Rowpar has recently developed a new product for the dental office. What is that?
Kahl: I'm very excited about this new product because it provides dental hygiene clinicians an alcohol-free option for pretreatment rinsing. By reducing harmful bacteria before treatment begins, everyone in the operatory is protected from the aerosols created when we work. The CloSYS Patient Pre-Rinse comes in a 64 oz. bottle with a metered-dose pump to make dispensing easy. My patients like the fresh-mouth feeling before and after my treatment.

I don't like strong flavored oral products, so having the choice to add a mild flavor is appealing to me.
Kahl: You're not alone. The CloSYS oral rinse, both for patient pretreatment rinsing and for home use, comes unflavored and has a tiny vile of flavor that can be added if desired. About half our users prefer the oral rinse without adding the flavor. It's nice to have the choice. Our users appreciate the excellent results without the burning or irritating commonly experienced with traditional mouthwash products.

— Shelby Kahl, RDH
Educational Specialist, Rowpar 		"Our goal is to help clinicians and their patients achieve optimal oral health from the operatory experience to the patient's home."
Shelby, I've seen you at dental meetings at the Rowpar exhibit booth, and you're usually so busy, I can't talk to you. What is your experience with hygienists at these meetings?
Kahl: I'll sum it up as the one-third rule. One-third of the hygienists who come to the booth are bringing their employer, a co-worker or colleague to see the products. They're excited about the products and they want to share that excitement. One-third already uses the products and they stop by the booth to ask what's new. The final third is stopping to learn about the product for the first time. It's fun to see such excitement and dedication to this system of products.

It seems that Rowpar has always been focused on dental hygienists, with Bobbie Ratcliff as the first president, it seems that focus continues today.
Kahl: Yes, Rowpar is creating a genuine partnership with dental hygienists to achieve optimal oral health for their patients. Hygienetown is an exciting community, with many hygienists talking in message boards about their positive experiences with Rowpar products. We have developed a CE course with Townie Cynthia Chillock about chlorine dioxide, which is now part of the Hygienetown Online CE Department. We're also partnering with hygienists in clinical practice through our recommending program, samples, coupons, new office kit, and product literature. Hygienists are on the front line, providing oral health care education, treatment and products. Our goal is to help clinicians and their patients achieve optimal oral health from the operatory experience to the patient's home.

What improvements to the CloSYS products is Rowpar planning for the near future?
Kahl: Rowpar has several product improvements and enhancements currently in the works, but I cannot divulge them yet. However, in late 2008, if you currently like CloSYS, you will love it even more and if you have never tried CloSYS then we believe you will be another very satisfied user in the very near future!
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