DOLLARS & SENSE : COMPANY SPOTLIGHT.

Name: Dental/Medical Diagnostic Systems Inc (DMD)

HQ: 200 North Westlake Boulevard, Suite 202, Westlake Village 91362

Business: Manufacturer of light-based tooth-whitening equipment. The company competes against other tooth-whitener manufacturers ranging from toothpaste makers such as Santa Barbara-based Den-Mat to makers of laser-based systems.

Annual revenue: $16.1 million 1997

Annual income (LOSS): ($2 million)

Ticker symbol: DMDS 

Friday close: $6.0625

Web site: www.dmdcorp.com

Company contact: Ronald Wittman, chief financial officer [phone]

INVESTOR SPOTLIGHT

Name: Bob Thomas.

Residence: Sherman Oaks.

Occupation: Actor.

Age: 40.

How he got started: Six years ago, he met a broker during a trip to the Bahamas. They started talking about the market, and Thomas opened an account with him after the trip. His first stock was a leading manager of doctor's offices called Phycor. Since then, he has bought and sold it about 150 times, most of the time at a profit.

Best stock pick: Echostar. He bought it three years ago for $12 and sold it a few months later for $29.

Worst stock pick: HCIA, a provider of information services to hospitals. He bought it for $60 a share in June 1996 and got out at $37 in March 1997.

Investment philosophy: An avid investor, Thomas watches the market two to three hours a day. His strategy is to pick out a promising stock and watch it for six months to determine the stock price's pattern of ups and downs. Once he figures out a set pattern, he'll know when to buy low and dump the stock as it cycles up again.

``If you track something for long enough and watch it for long enough, I think you increase your chances of making a good return every day.''

CAPTION(S):

Photo: (Color) Bob Thomas