Henry Schein, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSIC), the world’s largest provider of health care solutions to office-based dental and medical practitioners, has donated more than 10 million items of personal protective equipment (PPE) and supplies worth millions of dollars to enhance the safety of front-line health care professionals, social service providers, underserved populations, and people with intellectual disabilities.

The donation includes face shields, hand sanitizer, isolation gowns, thermometers, coveralls, and face masks, and will be received by seven Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) who will distribute the supplies in more than 40 countries and territories.

Henry Schein’s global distribution and supply chain network managed the donation working through Henry Schein Cares, the Company’s corporate social responsibility program. The recipients are Americares; Direct Relief; International College of Dentists; MAP International; MedShare; Project HOPE; and Special Olympics. These NGOs will receive the PPE and distribute the items among hospitals, long-term care facilities, outreach and partner clinics, and free and charitable clinics helping to provide primary and oral care, maternal and child health, and infectious disease control and prevention in the U.S. and worldwide. Donations will also support the current response to the COVID-19 pandemic and be pre-positioned in preparation for other disease outbreaks and humanitarian crises as well as natural disasters.

“This donation reflects our continued sense of purpose and commitment to values that make the world a better place,” said Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman of the Board and CEO of Henry Schein, Inc. “In keeping with our higher ambition of aligning our capabilities with the needs of society, we aim to ‘help health happen’ by enhancing health equity, improving access to care, and providing for the safety of health care professionals and patients. Henry Schein is pleased to be working with our valued NGO partners in this important endeavor.”

Henry Schein’s NGO partners in this effort are as follows:

Americares is a health-focused relief and development organization that saves lives and improves health for people affected by poverty or disaster;

Direct Relief is a humanitarian aid organization, active in all 50 states and more than 80 countries, with a mission to improve the health and lives of people affected by poverty or emergencies – without regard to politics, religion, or ability to pay;

The International College of Dentists is the preeminent global dental honor society recognizing outstanding professional achievement and meritorious service while advocating for humanitarian and educational initiatives;

MAP International is a non-profit humanitarian organization providing medicines and health supplies to millions of people worldwide so they might experience life to the fullest;

MedShare is a 501c(3) humanitarian aid organization dedicated to improving the quality of life of people, communities, and our planet by sourcing and directly delivering surplus medical supplies and equipment to communities in need around the world;

Project HOPE is a global health and humanitarian relief organization that is committed to placing power in the hands of local health care workers to save lives across the globe; and,

Special Olympics is a global movement of people creating a new world of inclusion and community, where every single person is accepted and welcomed, regardless of ability or disability.

About Henry Schein, Inc.

Henry Schein, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSIC) is a solutions company for health care professionals powered by a network of people and technology. With more than 19,000 Team Schein Members worldwide, the Company's network of trusted advisors provides more than 1 million customers globally with more than 300 valued solutions that help improve operational success and clinical outcomes. Our Business, Clinical, Technology, and Supply Chain solutions help office-based dental and medical practitioners work more efficiently so they can provide quality care more effectively. These solutions also support dental and medical laboratories, government and institutional health care clinics, as well as other alternate care sites.

Henry Schein operates through a centralized and automated distribution network, with a selection of more than 120,000 branded products and Henry Schein private-brand products in stock, as well as more than 180,000 additional products available as special-order items.

A FORTUNE 500 Company and a member of the S&P 500® index, Henry Schein is headquartered in Melville, N.Y., and has operations or affiliates in 31 countries and territories. The Company's sales reached $10.1 billion in 2020, and have grown at a compound annual rate of approximately 12 percent since Henry Schein became a public company in 1995.

For more information, visit Henry Schein at www.henryschein.com, Facebook.com/HenrySchein, Instagram.com/HenrySchein, and Twitter.com/HenrySchein.

NYU Oral Cancer Center has been awarded a five-year, $3.1 million grant (R01 CA231396) by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The principal investigators, Donna Albertson, PhD, and Brian Schmidt, DDS, MD, PhD, seek to improve oral cancer treatment and alleviate pain by better understanding how a subset of nerves that possess a receptor called TRPV1 on the cell membrane contribute to cancer progression and pain.

Oral cancer patients have a poor prognosis and endure debilitating pain. Albertson and Schmidt have been investigating oral cancer at the molecular level for nearly two decades to address these pressing clinical challenges.

In previous work funded by the NCI, the investigators enrolled patients seen at the NYU Oral Cancer Center in a cancer pain study. They found that some patients reported developing sensitivity to spicy foods, such as chili peppers. The TRPV1 ion channel—sometimes referred to as the “capsaicin receptor”—is activated by the spicy component of chili peppers of the same name. This observation led Albertson and Schmidt to hypothesize that oral cancers release mediators that sensitize and activate nociceptors (pain-sensing nerves) and induce pain. They also postulate that the cancer-primed nociceptors promote cancer growth.

In their newly funded research, which responds to the NCI program focused on the role of the nervous system in regulating or promoting cancer, the investigators will study the sensitization and activation of TRPV1 on nociceptors generated by cancer mediators. They will also study the reciprocal promotion of oral cancer by CGRP—a neuropeptide implicated in pain signaling pathways—released by sensitized and activated nociceptors.

“We propose to study the reciprocal sensory neuron-cancer interaction in relation to cancer promotion and oral cancer pain," said Albertson, a professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at NYU College of Dentistry. “The mechanisms of two-way interaction between oral cancer cells and neurons, and how the interactions promote cancer and pain, are not known. There is a critical need to define the mechanism by which oral cancers and neurons interact with each other and the efficacy of disrupting this interaction to treat oral cancer and associated pain.”

“For almost 20 years Donna and I have investigated oral cancer pain and progression,” said Schmidt, a professor of oral and maxillofacial surgery at NYU College of Dentistry and director of the NYU Oral Cancer Center. “This NCI-funded award is the first project in which we combine our respective expertise in cancer biology and neurobiology to reveal how neurons drive cancer growth and cancer pain. This project is an exciting new trajectory for us as we resolve how a subset of nerves contribute to cancer progression and pain. After identifying the components of the cancer-nerve interaction with greater resolution, we seek to develop novel approaches to treat oral cancer and oral cancer pain.”

By exploring the interplay between nerves and cancer, the newly funded research will lay the foundation for developing non-opioid pain therapy as well as cancer treatment. More immediately, the work will pave the way for clinical trials to assess CGRP and CGRP receptor targeted therapies for treating cancer and attenuating cancer pain; these therapies are currently FDA-approved solely for migraine.

About NYU College of Dentistry

Founded in 1865, New York University College of Dentistry (NYU Dentistry) is the third oldest and the largest dental school in the US, educating nearly 10 percent of the nation’s dentists. NYU Dentistry has a significant global reach with a highly diverse student body. Visit https://dental.nyu.edu for more.

The National Advertising Division (NAD) of BBB National Programs determined that the American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) supported its implied claim that SmileDirectClub, LLC’s retail stores lack on-site medical professionals. However, NAD has recommended that AAO discontinue implied claims, and certain videos containing such claims, that SmileDirectClub’s direct-to-consumer:

-Teledentistry platform is risky, dangerous and ineffective, and that medical professionals are not involved throughout SmileDirectClub’s treatment process.

-At-home dentistry kit is difficult to use.

-Aligner product is ineffective.

The claims were challenged by SmileDirectClub, LLC, which provides orthodontic services through its direct-to-consumer teledentistry platform enabling consumers to straighten their teeth using clear plastic aligners from home.

The advertising campaign under review was launched by AAO, the world’s oldest and largest dental specialty organization representing nearly 19,000 orthodontists in the United States, Canada, and abroad. AAO’s Happy Mouth Now advertising campaign, consisting of 4 videos and a related microsite, was created to raise public awareness of the dangers posed by direct-to-consumer and do-it-yourself orthodontics.

The issue before NAD was whether the Happy Mouth campaign falsely conveys disparaging messages about SmileDirectClub’s direct-to-consumer teledentistry platform. NAD reviewed AAO’s videos, each of which ends with AAO’s name and logo as well as the tagline “some things are best left to the professionals,” and the microsite to determine the messages reasonably conveyed and whether such messages were properly supported.

NAD determined that the video titled “Original Advertisement” communicated the unsupported messages that SmileDirectClub’s direct-to-consumer teledentistry platform is risky due to the absence of in-person medical oversight, and that the at-home impression kit is difficult for consumers to use on their own. Therefore, NAD recommended that the advertisement be discontinued, along with such claims.

Regarding the “Store Advertisement” video, NAD concluded that the evidence in the record supported the claim that SmileDirectClub’s retail shops lack on-site medical professionals, but cautioned the advertiser against making the unsupported, broad claim that medical professionals are generally not involved throughout SmileDirectClub’s entire treatment process.

NAD determined that video “Testimonial Advertisement” communicated the unsupported message that SmileDirectClub’s direct-to-consumer aligner product is ineffective and recommended that the advertiser discontinue this claim, but otherwise determined that this advertisement is puffery.

Further, NAD recommended that the advertiser discontinue the “Happy Eyes Now and Happy Bones Now Advertisement” video, as well as the unsupported claims that SmileDirectClub’s direct-to-consumer teledentistry platform is dangerous and ineffective.

Finally, NAD determined that the microsite reasonably communicates the messages that medical professionals are generally not involved throughout SmileDirectClub’s direct-to-consumer teledentistry treatment process, and that using SmileDirectClub’s teledentistry platform is risky. The evidence in the record did not reliably support either of these messages, therefore NAD recommended that such claims be discontinued.

In its advertiser statement, AAO stated that although it “respectfully disagrees with many of NAD’s conclusions, AAO will comply with the NAD’s recommendations.”

About BBB National Programs: 

BBB National Programs is where businesses turn to enhance consumer trust and consumers are heard. The non-profit organization creates a fairer playing field for businesses and a better experience for consumers through the development and delivery of effective third-party accountability and dispute resolution programs. Embracing its role as an independent organization since the restructuring of the Council of Better Business Bureaus in June 2019, BBB National Programs today oversees more than a dozen leading national industry self-regulation programs, and continues to evolve its work and grow its impact by providing business guidance and fostering best practices in arenas such as advertising, child-directed marketing, and privacy. To learn more, visit bbbprograms.org.

About the National Advertising Division: 

The National Advertising Division (NAD), a division of BBB National Programs, provides independent self-regulation and dispute resolution services, guiding the truthfulness of advertising across the U.S. NAD reviews national advertising in all media and its decisions set consistent standards for advertising truth and accuracy, delivering meaningful protection to consumers and leveling the playing field for business.      

Amann Girrbach announces a change in its North American Management Team in order to support its digitization and growth strategy. Jan Slor, former General Manager of Global Dental Science LLC, will take over the role as Managing Director for Amann Girrbach North America. Jan assumes his new role effective March 1st.

Jan has a longstanding career of 35 years in the dental laboratory industry. He has held various management positions at international dental companies in both Europe and the US. Prior to his assignment at Global Dental Science LLC, Jan was the General Manager of Dentsply Prosthetics in the US. "I am very pleased that Jan is joining our team, and I am convinced that he will successfully lead Amann Girrbach North America into the digital future of dental prosthetics," said Wolfgang Reim, CEO of Amann Girrbach AG.

If there is anything that the pandemic-driven practice closure has taught the dental industry, it is that continued education is a must for resilience. Adding and sharpening skills must be at the top of the list to recoup resources lost. It is in this spirit that Sterngold Dental has reinforced its dental course offerings and strategically increased access to them by expanding the choice of platforms for delivery. Enter iDentalCourses.com, a course platform for continued dental education featuring online and classroom courses from international providers.

Launched in mid-2020, the iDentalCourses.com following has grown at a rapid pace since, as evidenced by the increasing content providers added on a daily basis, website traffic, referred registrations, and social media following. iDentalCourses.com is an additional medium between educational content providers like Sterngold Dental and the education seekers of the dental community.

According to Arlindo Neto, Founder and CEO of iDentalCourses, their mission in creating the platform is to centralize the best dental course providers and dentistry schools of the world in one place by offering dental professionals and dentistry students an easy way to search for the best continuing education, online and classroom courses, covering hands-on training, webinars, conferences, symposiums, and more. Neto states: “Our promise is to ensure high quality of research, innovation, constant updates, and honesty. Our attraction in partnering with Sterngold stems from the quality of work and the company’s professionalism.”

For Sterngold, partnering with iDentalCourses by placing its running CE and non-CE lecture and hands-on courses on the site is a great way to connect with students of dentistry and up-and-coming new dental professionals. Since the ultimate benefit of attending Sterngold courses is discovering products and solutions that can grow a practice through efficiency and expanded treatment, it can help the participants develop the resilience needed to thrive.

Radio communication has grown in the dental industry over recent years due the low cost of efficient communications. National 2Way (N2W) has created the “Touch-Free PTT”. Touch-Free-PTT allows users to use a wristband to trigger the PTT without using your hands. This keeps your hands clean with or without your disposable gloves on.

Touch-Free PTT allows users to use a wristband to trigger the PTT without using your hands. It’s perfect for the dental industry wanting a “hands-free” application.

At a time where Dental Offices around the US see less patients because of Covid19, using a Touch-Free solution provides a quicker way to speed-up seeing patients. Our Touch-Free PTT allows the dentist to wear it underneath their scrubs and communicate without having to leave the patient alone. Finding people throughout an office can be a hassle at times but at National2Way, we aim to improve communication and efficiency throughout an office so that everyone in the office is on the same page

National 2Way is a leading manufacturer of premium two-way radio accessories. We pride ourselves on delivering quality product & finding solutions for all communication needs. N2W also offers FREE branding with your company logo on our products so your patients will always keep your practice at the forefront of their mind. We have a comprehensive Dealer Market across the US so please call us at (877) 692-5330 for a Dealer near you.

Henry Schein, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSIC) virtually hosted a global media event during the Chicago Midwinter Dental Meeting titled “Managing Through Crisis for a Stronger Tomorrow,” during which the Company’s leadership presented its view of the future of dentistry within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To start the event, held on February 25, 2021, Stanley M. Bergman, Henry Schein’s Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer presented key learnings from the COVID-19 pandemic, including that dentists around the world can play a key role as front-line responders during the pandemic as well as the importance of dental practitioners being involved with administering COVID-19 point-of-care rapid tests and vaccinations.

“The past year has been incredibly challenging for the dental profession and for society in general,” said Mr. Bergman. “We are optimistic that dental teams globally will emerge stronger from the crisis as they accelerate the adoption of digital technologies to advance the delivery of care.”

Following Mr. Bergman’s presentation, Jonathan Koch, Senior Vice President and Chief Executive Officer of Henry Schein’s Global Dental Group, provided insights on the Global Dental Group’s support of customers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, and shared his perspective on emerging trends in the global dental market.

Six additional Henry Schein leaders also discussed how their regions handled the challenges presented by COVID-19 and provided key business updates within their geographies: A.J. Caffentzis, President, US Dental Distribution; Andrea Albertini, President, EMEA Dental Distribution Group; René Willi, President, Global Dental Surgical Group; Prashant Ohri, Vice President and General Manager, Henry Schein Canada; and David Brous, President, Strategic Business Units and Asia Pacific and Brazil Dental.

“From the beginning of the pandemic, Henry Schein’s Global Dental Group has remained flexible in its approach to serving our customers, our supplier partners, our Team Schein Members, and the communities in which we live and work,” said Mr. Koch. “As the dental profession continues to change, our team remains steadfast in our commitment to staying agile so that customers can ‘Rely On Us’ to provide a wide variety solutions so dental professionals can focus on delivering high-quality care.”

To view a replay of Henry Schein’s global media event, please click here.

About Henry Schein, Inc.

Henry Schein, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSIC) is a solutions company for health care professionals powered by a network of people and technology. With more than 19,000 Team Schein Members worldwide, the Company's network of trusted advisors provides more than 1 million customers globally with more than 300 valued solutions that help improve operational success and clinical outcomes. Our Business, Clinical, Technology, and Supply Chain solutions help office-based dental and medical practitioners work more efficiently so they can provide quality care more effectively. These solutions also support dental laboratories, government and institutional health care clinics, as well as other alternate care sites.

Henry Schein operates through a centralized and automated distribution network, with a selection of more than 120,000 branded products and Henry Schein private-brand products in stock, as well as more than 180,000 additional products available as special-order items.

A FORTUNE 500 Company and a member of the S&P 500® index, Henry Schein is headquartered in Melville, N.Y., and has operations or affiliates in 31 countries and territories. The Company's sales reached $10.1 billion in 2020, and have grown at a compound annual rate of approximately 12 percent since Henry Schein became a public company in 1995.

For more information, visit Henry Schein at www.henryschein.com, Facebook.com/HenrySchein, and @HenrySchein on Twitter.