MALVERN, Pa., Sept. 24, 2012 -- DentalEZ® Group today announced that it has signed a letter of intent to make Henry Schein, Inc. (NASDAQ:HSIC) the exclusive global distributor of the Identafi® Oral Cancer Screening Device, a product of the DentalEZ® Group's StarDental® Division.
MALVERN, Pa., Sept. 24, 2012 -- DentalEZ® Group today announced that it has signed a letter of intent to make Henry Schein, Inc. (NASDAQ:HSIC) the exclusive global distributor of the Identafi® Oral Cancer Screening Device, a product of the DentalEZ® Group's StarDental® Division.
Henry Schein is the world's largest provider of health care products and
services to office-based dental, medical and animal health practitioners.
Identafi will become a core component of Henry Schein Dental's Total™
Health Beyond The Mouth initiative.
The Identafi system is a small, cordless, handheld unit that is designed for
use in the offices of dentists, specialists and general practitioners to
screen for oral cancers and pre-cancers. Unlike other fluorescent
technologies and dye systems, the multi-spectral device uses a
three-wavelength optical illumination and visualization system that allows
dental professionals to identify biochemical and morphological changes in
cells of the mouth, throat, tongue and tonsils that are not visible to the
naked eye. The Indentafi Oral Cancer Screening Device received an Editor's
Choice award from The Dental Advisor, was named as one of the "Top 100
Products of 2012" by Dentistry Today, and was selected as the Gold Winner in
the dental instruments, equipment and supplies category of the 2012 Medical
Design Excellence Awards competition.
"We admire the active role that Henry Schein has taken to advocate for the
early screening of oral cancer, as well as their proven ability to build
market share for innovative products like the StarDental Identafi Oral
Cancer Screening Device," said Gordon Hagler, President and Chief Operating
Officer of DentalEZ Group. "We look forward to the prospect of working with
Henry Schein exclusively to advance this important public health issue and
communicate the exceptional benefits of our system to dentists around the
world."
The Oral Cancer Foundation estimates that oral cancer kills one person every
hour, every day in the United States. However, when oral cancer is detected
early, patients have an 80 to 90 percent survival rate.
"The Indentafi Oral Cancer Screening Device will be an exciting new addition
to the industry leading solutions that we offer exclusively to our
customers," said Tim Sullivan, President of Henry Schein Dental.
"Henry Schein has been dedicated to the early detection of oral cancer for
many years. We look forward to our new partnership with a renowned,
worldwide dental company such as DentalEZ Group, and working together to
expand our Total Health™ Beyond The Mouth initiative, which underscores
our steadfast commitment to help our dental customers provide the best and
most comprehensive care possible to patients," added Mr. Sullivan.
Henry Schein Dental's Total Health Beyond the Mouth initiative includes the
Total Health Checklist, which, together with screening and diagnostics,
assists dental professionals in assessing a patient's oral health, its
impact on their total health, and uncovering health problems.