DENTSPLY International Announces Executive Retirement And Promotions.

YORK, Pa. -- DENTSPLY International Inc. (NASDAQ:XRAY), the global leader in the professional dental products industry, today announced that Gary K. Kunkle, Jr., 59, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, has indicated his intention to retire from the Company effective December 31, 2006. Bret W. Wise, 45, President and Chief Operating Officer, has been appointed to the DENTSPLY Board of Directors. Upon Mr. Kunkle's retirement at the end of the year, Mr. Wise will assume responsibilities as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Company, while retaining his responsibilities as President. Christopher T. Clark, 44, Senior Vice President, will become Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, also effective January 1, 2007.

"It has been a privilege for me to serve DENTSPLY in various leadership positions, particularly as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer," Gary Kunkle offered. "Retiring at the end of the year is consistent with the personal goals I have had for some time and I depart with great confidence and comfort in our Company's future. Bret Wise is an outstanding executive with exceptional talent, skills and experience. DENTSPLY is very fortunate to have him assume this important leadership role. He will also have the support of a very broad and experienced staff to carry this business forward. Bret has been a key contributor to our success and I am confident his leadership skills and executive acumen will play a pivotal role in driving our future revenues and earnings growth."

Gary Kunkle joined DENTSPLY in January 1997, as President and Chief Operating Officer and was appointed to the Board of Directors in March 2002. He was named Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in January 2004, and was appointed Chairman of the Board of Directors at the conclusion of the 2005 Annual Meeting.

Mr. Kunkle has successfully guided the Company's day-to-day operations during a period marked by dynamic growth. Under his leadership, a number of significant projects were implemented that have been of material value to the Company, including a successful sales force expansion project. DENTSPLY today boasts more than 1,800 technically trained field representatives on a global basis, far more than any other dental manufacturer. In addition, Mr. Kunkle led initiatives to implement centralized warehousing and shared administrative services in both North America and Europe.

Prior to joining DENTSPLY, Mr. Kunkle served in a variety of executive positions with Johnson & Johnson, a premiere global health care company. He was President of J&J's Vistakon division, which manufactures and markets the world's preeminent brand of disposable contact lenses, and President of J&J Orthopaedics Inc., a manufacturer of orthopaedic implants, fracture management products and trauma devices.

Mr. Kunkle was recognized as a distinguished alumnus from his alma mater, the University of South Carolina in 2001. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Perrigo Company (NASDAQ:PRGO) and has taken an energetic leadership role in business and community activities throughout his career. Mr. Kunkle is married with four children and four granddaughters. He and his wife Susan reside in York, PA.

"On behalf of the Company, I would like to thank Gary Kunkle for his outstanding contribution to DENTSPLY's success over the past decade," commented Bret Wise. "Gary has been a driving force in our strategic initiatives and strong operational results throughout his tenure with the Company. His leadership will have a lasting impact on the Company and we wish him and his family well in retirement."

"We are also fortunate to have someone of Chris Clark's caliber to assume responsibilities as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer," Wise added. "He has been a valuable contributor to DENTSPLY with a long and proven track record across many of our domestic and international business units. In addition, I am personally honored and excited to lead the Company at this time. Today we have a broad platform of leading brands and technologies in the global dental market, as well as a very experienced and deep management team. We are well positioned to take advantage of significant opportunities for growth."

Bret Wise joined DENTSPLY in November 2002 as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer. In that position he proved to be a capable leader, working with the Company's operating groups in both strategic finance and operating matters, as well as guiding the Company's implementation of financial accounting and disclosure controls in accordance with the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.

In January 2005, Mr. Wise was appointed Executive Vice President with responsibility for half of the Company's operating units as well as the business development, regulatory, technology and product development functions. He was named President and Chief Operating Officer of the Company in January of this year.

Mr. Wise joined DENTSPLY following a very successful career as Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Ferro Corporation, a global specialty chemical company. He also had operating responsibility for Ferro's business units in the Asia Pacific region and their global porcelain enamel business. Before joining Ferro he was Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of WCI Steel, Inc., and was formerly a partner with the accounting and consulting firm of KPMG.

A Certified Public Accountant, Mr. Wise earned his Bachelor of Science degree in business from Indiana University. He was recently elected to the Board of Directors of the Dental Trade Alliance, the association for the North American dental trade, representing dental manufacturers, laboratories and distributors. Mr. Wise and his wife June have three children and reside in Lancaster, PA.

Chris Clark joined DENTSPLY in September 1992 as Director of Marketing with the Prosthetics Division and was promoted to Division Vice President and General Manager in July 1996. Three years later he was promoted to Vice President and General Manager of DENTSPLY's global imaging business with operations in the United States, Germany and Italy, that served markets worldwide.

In January 2003, Mr. Clark was promoted to Senior Vice President and, in that position, has had a wide variety of responsibilities, including business development, strategic planning, and operating responsibilities over six primary manufacturing operations and more than ten primary selling organizations located in the United States, Europe and Japan. He led the formation of DENTSPLY North America, effectively combining the field and sales management functions of six U.S. operations into a more cohesive structure with greater synergies.

Prior to joining DENTSPLY, Mr. Clark was employed with Procter & Gamble in a number of management positions, including Brand Manager of Crest Toothpaste. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics from Harvard University, and has a Master of Business Administration degree in marketing and finance from Columbia University's Graduate School of Business. Mr. Clark and his wife Emily have three children and live in York, PA.

DENTSPLY designs, develops, manufactures and markets a broad range of products for the dental market. The Company believes that it is the world's leading manufacturer and distributor of dental prosthetics, precious metal dental alloys, dental ceramics, endodontic instruments and materials, prophylaxis paste, dental sealants, ultrasonic scalers, and crown and bridge materials; the leading United States manufacturer and distributor of dental handpieces, dental x-ray film holders, film mounts and bone substitute/grafting materials; and a leading worldwide manufacturer or distributor of dental injectable anesthetics, impression materials, orthodontic appliances, dental cutting instruments and dental implants. The Company distributes its dental products in over 120 countries under some of the most well established brand names in the industry.

DENTSPLY is committed to the development of innovative, high quality, cost-effective new products for the dental market.

To the extent this press release is considered to contain forward-looking information regarding future events or the future financial performance of the Company, such statements are made within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Actual events or results may differ materially from forward-looking information set forth herein as a result of certain risk factors, including, without limitation; the continued strength of dental markets, the timing, success and market reception for our new and existing products, and changes in the general economic environment that could affect our business.