Press Release Details

MELVILLE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 6, 2004--

With the support of 51 participating vendors, more than one million underserved children expected to receive free oral health care services today

Henry Schein, Inc. (NASDAQ:HSIC) and the American Dental Association (ADA) will open trading at the NASDAQ marketplace this morning to celebrate the second annual Give Kids A Smile(SM) Day, a program that provides free oral health services to more than one million underserved children in communities across the country. This annual one-day initiative from the ADA enlists over 35,000 dental team members, including more than 14,000 volunteer dentists, who provide free educational, preventive and restorative services to children from low-income families.

Sullivan-Schein Dental, the U.S. Dental division of Henry Schein, is once again the exclusive distributor of professional products for Give Kids A Smile, extending one of the first partnerships that the ADA has entered into with a private company to provide voluntary dental services at the national level. With the support of 51 participating vendor partners, Sullivan-Schein Dental is coordinating the flow of free supplies to 200 major dental clinics selected by the ADA. Each clinic is expected to service between 200 and over 1,000 children. The contributions of Sullivan-Schein Dental and its vendor partners are enabling the thousands of participating dentists and dental team members to provide free oral health services to underserved children in areas of care identified by the ADA.

"Give Kids A Smile is the ideal program for Henry Schein because it helps us provide value--not only financially but also through our logistics, our Team Schein Members, our marketing communications, and our grassroots distribution capabilities--to help the ADA and its volunteers in over 2,000 locations execute a program of this magnitude and scope," said Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman, Chief Executive Officer and President of Henry Schein. "Working together with the ADA, and with the support of our vendor partners, we have been able to create a voluntary public-private initiative that meets the needs of many different groups as it highlights and builds support for the issue of increasing access to oral health care in underserved communities all over the country."

"Give Kids A Smile goes beyond screening to ensure that underserved children receive proper treatment," said Dr. Eugene Sekiguchi, ADA president. "We believe that this is one reason why we have seen such a tremendous outpouring of support from our members, and why the dental industry has embraced the program so strongly. Enlisting the help of dental manufacturers and putting their products into the hands of our volunteer dentists and dental teams is vital to the success of Give Kids A Smile. We could have found no more capable distribution partner than Henry Schein for this crucial role."

Henry Schein's participation in Give Kids A Smile is part of the Company's social responsibility program, Henry Schein Cares. The mission of Henry Schein Cares is to assist in narrowing the disparity in the delivery of healthcare services and information in underserved communities, both in the United States and abroad, by providing resources to support the programs of community-based healthcare professionals and their organizations.

Give Kids A Smile Vendor Sponsors

Fifty-one vendors have generously donated products to Give Kids A Smile access programs in 2004. Below is the list of participating companies:

3M ESPE                             A. Titan Instruments, Inc.
All Dental ProdX, LLC               American Eagle Instruments, Inc.
Ansell                              Axis Dental Corporation
Banta Healthcare Group              Biotrol International
Carl Parker Associates, Inc.        Coltene/Whaledent, Inc.
Confi-Dental Products Company       Crosstex International, Inc.
Dental Disposables International    DENTSPLY Caulk
DENTSPLY Pharmaceutical             DENTSPLY Professional
Dukal Corporation                   Dux Sales
Eastman Kodak Company               Foremost Dental Manufacturing LLC
GC America, Inc.                    Gingi-Pak
Heraeus-Kulzer, Inc.                Hu-Friedy Manufacturing Company
Ivoclar Vivadent, Inc.              J & J Instruments, Inc.
Johnson & Johnson Oral Health       Jovident International B.V.
 Products
Kerr Dental                         Miltex, Inc.
Nordent Manufacturing, Inc.         Office Depot, Inc.
Oral-B Laboratories                 Palmero Health Care
Pascal Company, Inc.                Premier Dental Products Company
Pulpdent Corporation                Pro-Repair, a Henry Schein Company
Raydenco                            Richmond Dental
Septodont, Inc.                     SS White Burs, Inc.
Sultan Chemists, Inc.               Sultan Dental Products
Sunstar Butler                      Surgical Specialties Corporation
Sybron Endo                         Total Care
Waterpik Technologies, Inc.         Young Dental Manufacturing
Zirc Company

About Give Kids A Smile

The ADA created Give Kids A Smile as an annual vehicle to focus national attention on what the U.S. Surgeon General has called a "silent epidemic" of oral disease affecting children from low-income families, and to build support for public and private solutions that will help these children get regular oral health care. As noted in the Surgeon General's 2000 report, Oral Health in America, dental decay is the most common disease affecting U.S. children, occurring at five times the rate of asthma and seven times that of hay fever. Millions of children suffer from untreated, easily preventable oral diseases that affect overall health, including speech, eating patterns and the ability to concentrate in school.

As part of Give Kids A Smile Day, dentists and dental team members around the country are providing a range of dental services and educational programs for underserved children, while highlighting for policy makers the ongoing challenges that low-income and disabled children face in accessing dental care. Today's events include in-school brushing demonstrations, community screening and treatment programs, and free, private dental care.

"The immediate success we saw with Give Kids A Smile in 2003 was remarkable, and the fact that we expect to exceed those high marks for volunteerism and number of children served today is very encouraging," said Dr. Sekiguchi. "By building on the initial success of the program in such a meaningful way, we clearly recognize the potential that Give Kids A Smile has for effecting real change in the state of oral health in America. While our volunteer dentists are treating children who desperately need proper oral health care, we also are highlighting the extent of untreated dental disease in our country and the urgent need to improve access to dental care."

About the ADA

The not-for-profit ADA is the nation's largest dental association, representing more than 147,000 members. The premier source of oral health information, the ADA has advocated for the public's health and promoted the art and science of dentistry since 1859. The ADA's state-of-the-art research facilities develop and test dental products and materials that have advanced the practice `of dentistry and made the patient experience more positive. The ADA Seal of Acceptance long has been a valuable and respected guide to consumer and professional products. For more information about the ADA, visit the Association's Web site at www.ada.org.

About Henry Schein, Inc.

Henry Schein, Inc. is the largest provider of healthcare products and services to office-based practitioners in the combined North American and European market. Recognized for its excellent customer service and low prices, Henry Schein 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 through a centralized and automated distribution network, which provides customers in more than 125 countries with a comprehensive selection of over 90,000 national and Henry Schein private-brand products.

Henry Schein also offers a wide range of innovative value-added practice solutions, including such leading practice management software systems as DENTRIX(R) and Easy Dental(R) for dental practices, and AVImark(R) for veterinary clinics, which are installed in over 50,000 practices; and ArubA(R), Henry Schein's electronic catalog and ordering system.

Henry Schein's sales reached a record $3.1 billion for the twelve months ended September 27, 2003. Headquartered in Melville, N.Y., Henry Schein employs nearly 8,000 people in 16 countries. For more information, visit the Henry Schein Web site at www.henryschein.com.

CONTACT: Henry Schein, Inc.
Susan Vassallo, 631-843-5562
svassa@henryschein.com

SOURCE: Henry Schein, Inc.