Press Release Details

MELVILLE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Aug. 16, 2000--The next routine check-up at the dentist could be a lifesaver for thousands of Americans because of OralCDx(R), a new breakthrough in oral cancer detection.

Henry Schein, Inc. (Nasdaq:HSIC) announced today that its U.S. Dental business, Sullivan-Schein Dental(TM), has signed a new agreement with OralScan Laboratories Inc., Suffern, N.Y., developers of OralCDx, to exclusively represent and distribute the oral cancer detection product. Under the new contract, which extends through 2004, Sullivan-Schein Dental will exclusively market OralCDx through its national sales force to dentists in the United States.

"We believe OralCDx's ability to easily test oral lesions as part of a routine dental check-up is one of the greatest breakthroughs in oral health," said Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Henry Schein. "We are extremely excited to have an opportunity to offer dental practitioners a product that can help save their patients' lives by detecting oral cancer in its earliest stages, and at the same time, provide a new revenue source for their practice."

Mark Rutenberg, President and Chief Executive Officer of OralScan Laboratories, said, "Henry Schein's preeminent position in the U.S. dental market presented us with a unique vehicle for bringing this life-saving technology as expeditiously as possible to U.S. dentistry."

Although highly curable when detected early, oral cancer kills more Americans each year than skin cancer or cervical cancer, according to the Center for Disease Control. OralCDx is a computer-assisted method of analyzing an oral brush biopsy. The test allows the dentist to quickly and painlessly determine which of the many benign-looking lesions they encounter each week are potentially dangerous. Studies indicate that general dental practitioners see an average of between two and six patients each week with tiny oral sores that could be pre-cancerous and require testing.

Prior to OralCDx, the only method for determining which lesions were dangerous was to perform a more invasive scalpel biopsy requiring anesthetic and suturing. By using OralCDx, dentists can rapidly and definitively identify which of these common and innocuous appearing lesions are potentially harmful. Dentists can then recommend a scalpel biopsy to completely characterize the lesion and determine the course of treatment.

OralCDx was introduced to the dental community last year in the Journal of the American Dental Association (JADA), which ran a cover story featuring a major in-depth study on the efficacy of OralCDx. The outcome of a clinical trial of 1,000 patients at 35 U.S. academic dental centers showed that OralCDx independently detected every case of histologically confirmed cancers. Furthermore, OralCDx uncovered pre-cancer or cancer among clinically benign-appearing lesions that would not have received additional testing or attention other than clinical follow up.

"Since the survival rate for oral cancer patients increases dramatically with early diagnosis, we expect OralCDx to significantly improve the current 50% five-year survival rate - a rate which hasn't changed in the last 50 years," said Dr. Drore Eisen, Medical Director for OralScan Laboratories. "There has already been a great response within the dental community to this breakthrough product."

According to Sullivan-Schein Dental, in the past nine months, over 26,000 dentists have requested OralCDx test kits and instructional information, representing over 18% of U.S. dentists.

Sullivan-Schein Dental is the dental industry leader in sales and offers one of the broadest selections of healthcare products and services to dental practitioners. The Company now serves more than 75% of the dental practices in the United States. Sullivan-Schein has nearly 600 field sales representatives and a U.S. network of more than 70 equipment sales and service centers.

Henry Schein, Inc. is the largest distributor of healthcare products and services to office-based healthcare practitioners in the combined North American and European markets. Recognized for its excellent customer service and low prices, the Company serves more than 400,000 customers worldwide, including dental practices and laboratories, physician practices and veterinary clinics, as well as government and other institutions.

The Company operates its five business groups - Dental, Medical, Veterinary, International and Technology - through a centralized and automated distribution network, which provides customers in more than 125 countries with a comprehensive selection of over 70,000 national and Henry Schein private-brand products. Henry Schein also offers a wide range of innovative value-added practice solutions, such as its leading dental practice management software systems - DENTRIX(R) and Easy Dental(R), which are installed in over 35,000 practices; and ArubA(R), Henry Schein's electronic catalog and ordering system.

Headquartered in Melville, New York, Henry Schein employs over 6,000 people in 15 countries. The Company's 1999 sales reached a record $2.3 billion. For more information, visit the Henry Schein website at http://www.henryschein.com.

For additional information, visit the OralCDx website at www.oralcdx.com. To order OralCDx from Sullivan-Schein, call 800-560-4467, or visit the website.

Certain information contained herein includes information that is forward-looking. The matters referred to in forward-looking statements may be affected by the risks and uncertainties involved in the Company's business. These forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by the cautionary statements contained in the Company's Securities and Exchange Commission filings.

CONTACT: Henry Schein, Inc., Melville

             Steven Paladino, Executive Vice President and
             Chief Financial Officer, 631/843-5500
             Susan Vassallo, Manager, Investor and Public Relations
             631/843-5562
             svassa@henryschein.com