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 April 22, 2003
                       (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.)




               570 West College Avenue, 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. first quarter 2003 sales and earnings release issued April 22, 2003 as referenced in Item 9. Item 9. - Regulation FD Disclosure. The following information is furnished pursuant to Item 9, "Regulation FD Disclosure" and Item 12, "Disclosure of Results of Operations and Financial Condition." On April 22, 2003, the Company issued a press release disclosing its first-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: April 22, 2003

      [Logo]

                                        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 FIRST QUARTER SALES AND EARNINGS


      York,  PA - April 22, 2003 -- DENTSPLY  International  Inc.  (NASDAQ
      -XRAY)  today  announced  record  sales and  earnings  for the first
      quarter  of  2003.   Sales   increased   11.6%  to  $396.2   million
      compared to $354.9  million in 2002 while sales  excluding  precious
      metals rose 11.9% to $341.8 million.

      Net  income  for the first  quarter  of 2003 was $38.3  million,  an
      increase of 15.6%  compared  to the 2002  period.  Diluted  earnings
      per share was $.48 for the  quarter,  a 14.3%  increase  compared to
      the $.42 per share  reported in 2002.  The 2002  quarter  included a
      $2.0 million  benefit from the reversal of a  restructuring  reserve
      which added $.02 per share to earnings in the 2002 period.

      John C. Miles, II, Chairman and Chief Executive  Officer,  commented
      that  "the  Company  is  continuing  to  benefit  from  several  new
      product  introductions.  Both our Cercon Smart  Ceramic  restorative
      product and our Eclipse  Prosthetic  Resin  System are  experiencing
      rapid  growth  and  strong  support  from  dentists  and  laboratory
      customers.  In January we introduced  our Aquasil  Ultra  impression
      material  in  the  United  States  and  have  already   successfully
      converted  approximately  8,000  new  users  to  this  revolutionary
      material  - a  spectacular  product  launch.  In  addition,  our new
      In-Ovation-R  and Mystique  orthodontic  brackets  are  experiencing
      extraordinary  growth.  Most  importantly,  DENTSPLY has a very full
      product  pipeline  and  numerous  new  products  that we  expect  to
      commercialize  in the second and third  quarters  of this year.  The
      success of our  existing  products  combined  with the  potential of
      upcoming   product   introductions   positions   us  very  well  for
      continued growth driven by product innovation."

      DENTSPLY Conference Call Information:

      DENTSPLY will hold a conference  call on  Wednesday,  April 23, 2003
      at 10:00  a.m.  (TZ:  Eastern).  To  access  the call,  please  dial
      domestic  (877) 885-5820 and  international   (706)  643-9578.  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
      domestic  (800)  642-1687 and  international  (706)  645-9291.  Call
      I.D.  : 9498761.



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 x-ray equipment, 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 ability to continue to generate sufficient cash flow to pay down debt as planned, 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 March 31 ----------------------- 2003 2002 ---------- --------- NET SALES $ 396,187 $ 354,868 NET SALES - ex Precious Metals 341,838 305,568 COST OF PRODUCTS SOLD 206,116 185,496 GROSS PROFIT 190,071 169,372 % OF NET SALES 48.0% 47.7% % OF NET SALES - ex Precious Metals 55.6% 55.4% SELLING, GENERAL & ADMINISTRATIVE EXPENSES 128,061 114,416 RESTRUCTURING (INCOME)/COSTS 0 (1,957) --------- --------- INCOME FROM OPERATIONS 62,010 56,913 % OF NET SALES 15.7% 16.0% % OF NET SALES - ex Precious Metals 18.1% 18.6% NET INTEREST AND OTHER EXPENSE 5,290 6,697 --------- --------- PRE-TAX INCOME 56,720 50,216 INCOME TAXES 18,453 17,120 --------- --------- NET INCOME $ 38,267 $ 33,096 % OF NET SALES 9.7% 9.3% % OF NET SALES - ex Precious Metals 11.2% 10.8% EARNINGS PER SHARE-BASIC $ 0.49 $ 0.42 -DILUTIVE $ 0.48 $ 0.42 DIVIDENDS PER SHARE $ 0.046 $ 0.046 WEIGHTED AVERAGE NUMBER OF COMMON SHARES OUTSTANDING-BASIC 78,442 77,947 -DILUTIVE 80,007 79,621

DENTSPLY INTERNATIONAL INC. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (IN THOUSANDS) MARCH 31, 2003 DECEMBER 31, 2002 --------------- ---------------- ASSETS CURRENT ASSETS: CASH AND CASH EQUIVALENTS $ 46,178 $ 25,652 ACCOUNTS AND NOTES RECEIVABLE-TRADE, NET 228,857 221,262 INVENTORIES, NET 228,903 214,492 OTHER CURRENT ASSETS 73,914 79,595 TOTAL CURRENT ASSETS 577,852 541,001 PROPERTY,PLANT AND EQUIPMENT, NET 329,014 313,178 GOODWILL, NET 918,840 898,497 IDENTIFIABLE INTANGIBLES ASSETS, NET 238,094 236,009 OTHER ASSETS, NET 125,098 98,348 TOTAL ASSETS $2,188,898 $2,087,033 LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY: CURRENT LIABILITIES $ 370,871 $ 365,745 LONG-TERM DEBT 797,627 769,823 OTHER NONCURRENT LIABILITIES 91,845 87,239 DEFERRED INCOME TAXES 30,707 27,039 TOTAL LIABILIITIES 1,291,050 1,249,846 MINORITY INTEREST IN CONSOLIDATED SUBSIDIARIES 1,335 1,259 STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY 896,513 835,928 TOTAL LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS' EQUITY $2,188,898 $2,087,033