FORM 8-K


                SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

                      WASHINGTON, D.C. 20549



          ----------------------------------------------


                          CURRENT REPORT
              Pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the
                  Securities Exchange Act of 1934


                  Date of Report January 27, 2004
                 (Date of earliest event reported)


                    DENTSPLY INTERNATIONAL INC
          (Exact name of Company as specified in charter)



              Delaware            0-16211       39-1434669
      (State of Incorporation)  (Commission    (IRS Employer
                                File Number)  Identification No.)




         221 West Philadelphia Street, York, Pennsylvania    17405
        (Address of principal executive offices)           (Zip Code)



                          (717) 845-7511
         (Company's telephone number including area code)









Item 7. Financial Statements and Exhibits (a) Financial Statements - Not applicable. (b) Exhibits: 99.1 The Dentsply International Inc. fourth quarter 2003 sales and earnings release issued January 27, 2004 as referenced in Item 12. Item 12. - Disclosure of Results of Operations and Financial Condition The following information is furnished pursuant to Item 12, "Disclosure of Results of Operations and Financial Condition." On January 27, 2004, the Company issued a press release disclosing its fourth quarter 2003 sales and earnings. This earnings release references net sales excluding precious metal content. Due to the fluctuations of precious metal prices and because the precious metal content of the Company's sales is largely a pass-through to customers and has minimal effect on earnings, the Company reports sales both with and without precious metals to show the Company's performance independent of precious metal price volatility and to enhance comparability of performance between periods. A copy of the Company's press release is attached hereto as Exhibit (99.1) and is hereby incorporated by reference.

SIGNATURES Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the Company has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned hereunto duly authorized. DENTSPLY INTERNATIONAL INC (Company) /s/Bret W. Wise Bret W. Wise Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Date: January 28, 2004

NEWS

For Further
Information
Contact:

Bret W. Wise                                        FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Senior Vice President and
Chief Financial Officer
(717) 849-4718

                          Dentsply International Inc.
                  Reports Record Sales and Earnings for 2003
                              and Fourth Quarter


York,  PA - January  27,  2004 --  DENTSPLY  International  Inc.  (NASDAQ-XRAY)
today  announced  record  sales and  earnings  for the year ended  December 31,
2003.  Sales  in 2003  increased  10.8%  to  $1.57  billion  compared  to $1.42
billion  reported  for  2002.  Sales  excluding   precious  metals,   increased
11.0% for all of 2003.  Sales growth was aided by currency  translation  as the
US dollar weakened throughout 2003.

Net income for 2003 was $174.2 million,  a 17.7% increase  compared to 2002 and
earnings per diluted share were $2.16,  a 16.7%  increase  compared to $1.85 in
2002.

Income  from  continuing  operations  was $169.9  million  for 2003,  $2.11 per
diluted  share,  an  increase  of 18.2%  compared  to  income  from  continuing
operations  of $143.6  million,  $1.80 per diluted  share for all of 2002.  The
2003   period   includes   pre-tax   charges  of  $3.7   million   relating  to
restructuring  activities  to  consolidate  the  Company's  lab business in the
United States and the  impairment  of certain  investments  in emerging  dental
technology  that the  Company  has  concluded  are no longer  viable.  The 2003
period also includes  pre-tax  gains of $7.4 million  relating to the Company's
investment  in  PracticeWorks  which was sold in the  fourth  quarter  of 2003.
The 2002 period  includes a pre-tax  gain on an  insurance  settlement  and the
reversal of a restructuring reserve of $2.7 million.

The Company  previously  announced  that it had entered  into an  agreement  to
sell its dental  equipment  business in a transaction that is expected to close
in the first  quarter of 2004.  In  addition,  the Company  recently  announced
that it was  discontinuing  its dental needle  business in 2004.  Both of these
businesses  are shown as  discontinued  operations  for all periods  presented.
Income  from  discontinued  operations  was  $4.3  million  for  both  2003 and
2002.

Sales in the  fourth  quarter  of 2003  increased  11.9% to a record  of $429.7
million  compared to $384.0 million in 2002.  Sales,  excluding  precious metal
content,  increased  11.4% in the quarter to $372.0  million.  Sales  growth in
the  quarter  was  positively  influenced  by the  weakening  of the US  dollar
versus certain key foreign currencies.


Net income for the fourth quarter of 2003 was $50.4 million, a 19.2% increase compared to 2002, and earnings per diluted share were $.62, a 17.0% increase compared to $.53 in the fourth quarter of 2002. Income from continuing operations was $48.7 million, $.60 per diluted share, for the 2003 fourth quarter, a 19.4% increase compared to $40.8 million, $.51 per diluted share, for the 2002 period. Income from continuing operations for the fourth quarter of 2003 includes the restructuring and other charges of $3.7 million mentioned above and a pre-tax gain on the PracticeWorks investment of $5.8 million realized during the quarter. Income from discontinued operations was $1.7 million for the fourth quarter of 2003 compared to $1.5 million in the 2002 quarter. Gary K. Kunkle, Vice Chairman and Chief Executive Officer commented that, "We are pleased to announce another year of record setting performance in 2003. This year we continued our strategic focus on developing new innovative products to improve the practice of dentistry. Recently, we announced that the Food and Drug Administration has approved Oraqix(R) our new dental anesthetic for periodontal treatment. This was a significant step in bringing this product to market in the United States. We now expect to launch Oraqix(R) in the United States in the second half of 2004. New product opportunities, combined with our expectations of accelerated growth in the dental consumables market and a recovery in the lab side of the market, position us well for continued strong results in 2004." DENTSPLY Conference Call Information DENTSPLY will hold a conference call on Wednesday, January 28, 2004 at 8:30 AM Eastern Time. To access the call, dial (877) 885-5820 (for domestic calls) and (706) 643-9578 (for international calls). This conference call will be broadcast live on the Internet at www.dentsply.com. An audio replay of the conference call will be available for two weeks. To access the replay, please dial (800) 642-1687 (for domestic calls) and (706) 645-9291 (for international calls). Call I.D.: 496033. 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, intraoral cameras, dental x-ray film holders, film mounts and bone substitute/grafting materials; and a leading worldwide manufacturer or distributor of dental injectible 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.

This press release contains forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of the company. Actual events or results may differ materially from those in the projections or other forward-looking statements set forth herein as a result of certain risk factors. These risk factors include without limitation; the continued strength of dental markets, the timing, success and market reception for our new product introductions, and changes in the general economic environment that could affect our business. For an additional description of risk factors, please refer to the Company's Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

DENTSPLY INTERNATIONAL INC. CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (IN THOUSANDS EXCEPT PER SHARE DATA) THREE MONTHS ENDED TWELVE MONTHS ENDED December 31, December 31, ---------------------- ---------------------- 2003 2002 2003 2002 ---------- ---------- ---------- ---------- NET SALES $ 429,708 $ 384,048 $ 1,570,925 $ 1,417,600 NET SALES - Ex Precious Metals $ 372,034 $ 334,021 $ 1,365,890 $ 1,230,512 COST OF PRODUCTS SOLD 221,145 192,699 797,724 713,189 GROSS PROFIT 208,563 191,349 773,201 704,411 % OF NET SALES 48.5% 49.8% 49.2% 49.7% % OF NET SALES - Ex Precious Metals 56.1% 57.3% 56.6% 57.2% SELLING, GENERAL & ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES 131,025 120,049 501,518 457,691 RESTRUCTURING (INCOME)/COSTS 3,700 47 3,700 (2,732) ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- INCOME FROM OPERATIONS 73,838 71,253 267,983 249,452 % OF NET SALES 17.2% 18.6% 17.1% 17.6% % OF NET SALES - Ex Precious Metals 19.8% 21.3% 19.6% 20.3% NET INTEREST AND OTHER EXPENSE (INCOME) 1,741 10,725 16,787 35,361 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- PRE-TAX INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS 72,097 60,528 251,196 214,091 INCOME TAXES 23,420 19,745 81,343 70,449 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- INCOME FROM CONTINUING OPERATIONS 48,677 40,783 169,853 143,642 % OF NET SALES 11.3% 10.6% 10.8% 10.1% % OF NET SALES - Ex Precious Metals 13.1% 12.2% 12.4% 11.7% INCOME FROM DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS, NET OF TAX 1,707 1,486 4,330 4,311 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- NET INCOME $ 50,384 $ 42,269 $ 174,183 $ 147,953 =========== =========== =========== =========== EARNINGS PER SHARE - BASIC: CONTINUING OPERATIONS $ 0.61 $ 0.52 $ 2.15 $ 1.84 DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS $ 0.02 $ 0.02 $ 0.05 $ 0.06 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- TOTAL EARNINGS PER SHARE $ 0.63 $ 0.54 $ 2.20 $ 1.90 =========== =========== =========== =========== EARNINGS PER SHARE - DILUTIVE: CONTINUING OPERATIONS $ 0.60 $ 0.51 $ 2.11 $ 1.80 DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS $ 0.02 $ 0.02 $ 0.05 $ 0.05 ----------- ----------- ----------- ----------- TOTAL EARNINGS PER SHARE $ 0.62 $ 0.53 $ 2.16 $ 1.85 =========== =========== =========== =========== DIVIDENDS PER SHARE $ 0.0525 $ 0.0460 $ 0.1970 $ 0.1840 WEIGHTED AVERAGE NUMBER OF COMMON SHARES OUTSTANDING -BASIC 79,153 78,358 78,823 78,180 -DILUTIVE 81,173 80,131 80,647 79,994

DENTSPLY INTERNATIONAL INC. CONDENSED BALANCE SHEETS (IN THOUSANDS) DECEMBER 31, DECEMBER 31, 2003 2002 ASSETS CURRENT ASSETS: CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS $ 163,755 $ 25,652 ACCOUNTS AND NOTES RECEIVABLE-TRADE, NET 241,385 221,262 INVENTORIES, NET 205,587 214,492 OTHER CURRENT ASSETS 88,463 79,595 ASSETS HELD FOR SALE 28,262 -- TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS 727,452 541,001 PROPERTY,PLANT AND EQUIPMENT, NET 376,211 313,178 GOODWILL, NET 963,264 898,497 IDENTIFIABLE INTANGIBLES ASSETS, NET 246,475 236,009 OTHER NONCURRENT ASSETS, NET 114,736 98,348 ASSETS HELD FOR SALE 17,449 -- TOTAL ASSETS $2,445,587 $2,087,033 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY: CURRENT LIABILITIES $ 363,228 $ 365,745 LIABILITIES OF DISCONTINUED OPERATIONS 21,474 -- LONG-TERM DEBT 790,202 769,823 OTHER LIABILITIES 96,955 87,239 DEFERRED INCOME TAXES 51,241 27,039 ---------- ---------- TOTAL LIABILITIES 1,323,100 1,249,846 MINORITY INTEREST IN CONSOLIDATED SUBSIDIARIES 418 1,259 STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY 1,122,069 835,928 TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY $2,445,587 $2,087,033