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LED Medical Diagnostics Inc. (TSX VENTURE:LMD) announced today that
its VELscope Vx enhanced early detection system has just been approved
for use by AppleWhite Dental Partners. The VELscope Vx is exclusively
distributed in the U.S. and Canada by Henry Schein, Inc.
(NASDAQ:HSIC).
"We are very pleased that the VELscope Vx has received the approval of
yet another demanding and respected group dental practice," said Peter
Whitehead, founder and CEO of LED Dental and its parent company, LED
Medical Diagnostics Inc. (TSX VENTURE:LMD). "AppleWhite Dental
Partners takes great pains to select only the finest technologies for
its practices and their patients, and it is very gratifying to have
them approve our VELscope Vx."
LED Dental introduced the first generation of VELscope's fluorescence
visualization technology about five years ago in response to the fact
that oral cancer was one of the few types of cancer that had not
experienced a significant decline in mortality over the previous
several decades. VELscope technology gives dental practitioners an
adjunctive visualization aid that should be used together with, and
after, a traditional intra-and extra-oral head and neck exam in hopes
of detecting oral lesions that might otherwise have been overlooked.
"Our mission is to create a partnership with our dentists that allow
them to practice innovative dentistry and provide an outstanding
patient experience," said Dr. Thomas McCoy, CEO of AppleWhite Dental
Partners. "Adding the state-of-the-art VELscope Vx enhances the
ability of our dentists to discover oral cancer and other oral disease
in early stages, and in a way that is completely non-invasive for
their patients."
The National Cancer Institute's SEER website indicates that oral
cancer is most often detected in late stages, when the 5-year survival
rate is less than 50%. When detected early, however, the 5-year
survival rate leaps to approximately 82%. Because the VELscope Vx is
so sensitive to oral mucosal changes, it can help increase the odds
that cancer will be detected in early and even precancerous stages.
"In fact," said Mr. Whitehead, "VELscope technology increases the
likelihood of detecting all types of oral disease at earlier stages,
which is good news for the patient as well as the practice."
Since the launch of the first generation model, over 10,000 VELscope
devices have been purchased by dental practices globally. It is
estimated that these devices have been used to conduct over 10 million
oral cancer exams during that time, easily making the VELscope the
world's number one adjunctive oral cancer screening technology.
The VELscope Vx, the latest generation of the technology, is the first
to offer cordless convenience as well as an optional digital camera
and customized bracket that make it easy for dentists to
photo-document suspicious lesions that are referred to specialists for
surgical biopsy.
"We have considered all available options," said Dr. Mark Mosier,
Director of Dentistry for AppleWhite Dental Partners, "and we are
confident that the VELscope Vx offers the most effective, most
convenient and most economical solution for both our practices and
their patients."
AppleWhite Dental Partners provides an array of services to 17
participating dental practices in Iowa, Illinois and Minnesota. By
providing business support, professional mentoring, and administrative
and consulting services, AppleWhite Dental Partners allows its
participating dentists to devote their time to caring for patients,
continuing education, and honing clinical skill.
About LED Medical Diagnostics Inc.
Founded in 2003, LED Medical Diagnostics Inc., (TSX VENTURE:LMD) is a
fast-growing public company offering effective early-stage oral cancer
detection technologies in 23 countries worldwide. The company makes
the VELscope Vx, a powerful tool for detecting early stage oral cancer
that is approved by the FDA, Health Canada and European regulators.
The company is headquartered in Burnaby British Columbia, Canada. For
more information please call +1 (604) 434-4614, or visit
About the VELscope Vx
The VELscope Vx is a powerful FDA-approved tool used to screen for
oral cancer. It saves lives by helping detect early stage oral cancer
and pre-cancer and other abnormalities in the mouth such as viral,
fungal and bacterial infections. The VELscope Vx is exclusively
distributed worldwide through a partnership with Henry Schein, the
world's largest dental distribution company. For more information
please call +1 (604) 434-4614, or visit www.VELscope.com.


