Forward Science Acquires Smart HD Earphones from Dental Innovations to Help Dental Professionals Prevent Noise-Induced Hearing Loss

Recently, VCBeat (WeChat ID: vcbeat) learned that Forward Science has completed the acquisition of exclusive rights to Dental Innovations’ smart high-definition headset products.

Dental Innovations is a privately held company headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded by Dr. Sam Sammardi, a practicing periodontist and clinical lecturer in the Department of Periodontology at Harvard University, the company aims to bring innovative solutions to the dental industry to address long-standing, unresolved challenges in the field.

The primary issue Dental Innovations aims to address is noise-induced hearing loss. The company spent several years collaborating with a partner that holds nearly 100 patents and has documented scientific evidence of efficacy to jointly develop an intelligent high-definition headset. After undergoing rigorous professional review by the American Dental Association (ADA) for many years, this product is now recommended for the market by the ADA.

Forward Science is a private medical technology company based in Houston, Texas. Its flagship product, OralID, is an award-winning oral cancer screening device that enables clinicians to detect abnormalities not visible under traditional white-light examination. Building on the success of OralID, Forward Science remains committed to advancing scientific progress in the oral healthcare industry by launching advanced diagnostic tests (CytID, hpvID, phID, PathID) and therapeutic solutions (SalivaMAX, SalivaCAINE, Sitavig).

In addition to developing patented products, Forward Science collaborates with industry leaders to provide high-efficiency solutions for the dental community. Following the acquisition of the smart headset from Dental Innovations, Forward Science has named it the EarAID™ Smart Headset.

EarAID™ Smart Earbuds (Image source: Forward Science official website)

EarAID™ smart earbuds utilize a patented electronic circuit that instantly identifies harmful sounds, isolates them, and compresses them into a safer decibel range, while allowing normal sounds to flow naturally into the ear canal. These compact earbuds fit directly into the user’s ear canal, are powered by miniature hearing aid batteries, and can be turned on or off at any time. The smart earbuds come with six different types of eartips to accommodate ear canals of varying contours.

Data shows that nearly 50 million Americans are suffering from hearing loss. If U.S. authorities officially recognize hearing loss as a disability, it will become the largest disability category in the United States. Specifically within the industry, dental clinics have various sources of high-decibel and high-frequency noise that may permanently damage hearing. These noise sources include sounds emitted by high-speed handpieces, high-volume evacuators, ultrasonic instruments, model trimmers, and other laboratory equipment during operation.

Hearing loss is caused by long-term exposure to noise. Over time, continuous noise can lead to permanent damage, the severity of which is comparable to that caused by sudden bursts of high-decibel noise. Dental professionals have long careers and are chronically exposed to such harmful noise; therefore, hearing loss is prevalent in this population.

“The true preventive solution is to use noise-canceling headphones to protect hearing,” explains Dr. Sam Shamardi, founder of Dental Innovations. “The smart high-definition electronic headphones I developed help dental professionals prevent noise-induced hearing loss. Moreover, there are virtually no suitable solutions on the market that both protect dental professionals’ hearing and allow them to communicate seamlessly with patients and staff.”

Dr. Sam Shamardi continued, “We knew this product was effective, so we needed a better way to promote it more broadly within the dental industry. As a periodontist completing a fellowship at Harvard University and serving as a part-time clinical instructor, I recognized that I could not build a company solely around this single product. Therefore, I joined Forward Science, a company that has successfully launched niche products for the dental industry.”

“This is not an ordinary noise-canceling earplug, but a smart headset,” said Dr. Brian Pikkula, Chief Technology Officer of Forward Science. “EarAID enables users to communicate easily at normal office audio levels while reducing noise and protecting their ears from hearing damage.”

Robert J. Whitman, CEO of Forward Science, stated, “Forward Science was founded with the mission to transform more lives by innovating and optimizing existing technologies into cost-effective solutions. Unlike oral diseases, xerostomia, or mucositis, hearing loss poses significant challenges to people’s daily lives. We are delighted to continue Dr. Shamardi’s work and launch EarAID to help prevent hearing loss.”

(Compiled by: Cheng Xiaoqin)