Aspen Dental Management (ADMI) will make the Forward Science OralID enhanced oral cancer screening device available to the independent dentists in its more than 830 Aspen Dental branded offices. The multi-year agreement will help these dentists provide early stage oral cancer discovery that can save lives, the companies said.
More than 53,000 individuals will be diagnosed with oral cancer in the United States in 2020, according to the companies. About 70% of these diagnoses will be in stage three and four cancer, with a five-year survival rate below 50%. Identifying these abnormalities earlier can improve the survival rate to as high as 90%, the companies added.
By making OralID available to their patients, practitioners in the Aspen Dental network are helping to break down barriers to oral cancer detection and getting patients access to screenings to encourage early stage oral cancer discovery, ADMI and Forward Science said.
“Forward Science believes that we can defeat cancer. Cancer will not defeat us,” said Robert J. Whitman, Forward Science CEO.
“Reaching millions of patients through the Aspen Dental branded network and encouraging early screening with the latest technology for oral cancer improves the odds of discovery in a treatable stage. We believe this partnership could change the trend in oral cancer impact for Americans,” Whitman said.
OralID was developed to create a simpler, more efficient, and more affordable oral cancer screening device, the companies said. It uses a proven, optically based fluorescence technology designed to aid in the visualization of oral mucosal abnormalities. It is the only device cleared by the Food and Drug Administration that can be used without rinses, dyes, sheathes, or barriers, limiting upfront or patient use-based costs, the companies said.
“As the number of oral cancer cases rises annually, Aspen Dental teams play an increasingly critical role in early detection of potentially malignant lesions,” said Dr. Arwinder Judge, ADMI chief clinical officer.
“By partnering with Forward Science, practitioners across the Aspen Dental branded network can offer a truly comprehensive oral care exam that includes oral cancer screening, making it possible to detect patients’ treatment needs sooner, improving lifesaving outcomes,” Judge said.
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