Founders

Malia Mueller Smith
Co-Founder & President, Oral Health Technologies, LLC
The Innovative Dental Product Company
Email: msmith@o-h-t.com

Malia Mueller Smith, MBA is a passionate leader with a vision for improvements in dentistry. Ms. Smith holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, and an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Business, Illinois. Her attention to the needs of customers is a signature strength and driving force behind the company’s product development efforts.

Ms. Smith's business management skills and passion for product development began early in her career with senior roles in fortune 100 companies including Amoco BP, and Sara Lee, in Chicago. Following a move to the Bay Area, Ms. Smith began working with Align Technology Inc., maker of Invisalign,® where she was responsible for having led the launch and management of numerous new products and programs. She is also co-author of several US patents pending.

Ms. Smith, having co-founded Oral Health Technologies, LLC, is now President of the company. In addition, Ms. Smith serves as a consultant to other dental product companies and is a member of the Board of Directors for The Family Giving Tree, Milpitas, where she focuses on giving back to the community. Ms. Smith also lectures and works with a number of dental companies to expand OHT's product representation.

Robert E. Tricca, Ph.D.
Co-Founder & Vice President, Oral Health Technologies, LLC
The Innovative Dental Product Company
Email: btricca@o-h-t.com

Robert E. Tricca, Ph.D. is a product development force with an award winning record. For more than two decades, Robert (Bob) has been a product innovator, entrepreneur, author, and expert advisor in the field of dentistry.

Recognized among oral care companies as an authority in the science of chemistry, Mr. Tricca has been driving product development for years. His broad experience includes the development of leading Consumer (OTC) and Professional products, formulating clinical programs to meet safety and regulatory needs, as well as overseeing manufacturing operations process development, scale-up and validation. In addition, his professional network and affiliations have supported many synergistic development efforts.

Prior to co-founding Oral Health Technologies, Mr. Tricca was Director of Research & Development for Align Technology Inc., maker of Invisalign,® where he directed the development of new materials and professional products for numerous years. His expertise runs from conception to commercialization and is evidenced in numerous multi-million dollar products brought to market. He is now Vice President of Oral Health Technologies.

Previous to his most recent positions, Mr. Tricca held senior R&D management positions with leading consumer product and pharmaceutical companies, including Oral-B/Gillette, Pfizer and Unilever. Mr. Tricca earned his Ph.D. degree in Physical Chemistry from Tufts University and his B.S. degree in Chemistry from Boston College, and is author of six US patents and several other patents pending.