Leading industry organizations spotlight oral health’s critical connection to overall health and equity

The Oral Health Pavilion makes its highly anticipated return to HLTH 2025, bringing together industry leaders CareQuest Innovation Partners, Henry Schein, and PDS Health. The pavilion’s return to HLTH underscores the growing awareness of oral health’s fundamental connection to overall health outcomes and health equity initiatives.

The 2025 pavilion will serve as an immersive experience where clinicians, health care leaders, industry professionals, and innovators converge to further medical-dental integration, explore breakthrough solutions, share insights, and chart pathways forward for comprehensive care models.

WHAT: This year’s Oral Health Pavilion will provide attendees with real-time insights into their health, featuring:

• Free health screenings: Oral health plays a significant role in systemic health issues like pregnancy complications, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and heart disease. Experienced clinicians will showcase medical-dental integration in real time through the following screenings:
  • A1C testing: Diabetes raises the risk of developing gum disease by 86%. Testing will be conducted by UNLV School of Dental Medicine.
  • Saliva testing: Salivary diagnostics provide a minimally invasive way to gain an understanding of many facets of whole-person health, starting with the mouth. Testing will be conducted by PDS Health clinicians and dento USA.
  • Blood pressure monitoring: Studies point to the correlation between high blood pressure and periodontal disease.
• Education and patient journey simulations: Experience oral health care from multiple patient perspectives, and test your oral health knowledge for a chance to win prizes.
• Innovation showcase: Live demos from 16 startups driving the future of oral health, including this year’s SMILE Health cohort companies: Feno, Firstgrin, KiDDY CAPS, Social Cascade, Times Health, Toothapps, Willo, and Other startups affiliated with CareQuest Innovation Partners, including OrisDX, Dentistry.One, Enable Dental, Wesper, Murnia, Lura Health, DifferentKind, and OraQ will also be in attendance. Each company will be offering an inside look at its innovation at the Oral Health Pavilion.
• Technology previews: See how AI and digital health are transforming dental care.

WHY:  The pavilion arrives at a pivotal moment as significant policy changes across the United States, including Medicaid cuts to dental coverage and emerging fluoride restrictions, threaten oral health care access and risk reversing decades of preventive health progress. With health care access under unprecedented pressure, the Oral Health Pavilion addresses critical gaps that affect overall health outcomes.

WHO: Key experts and leaders from CareQuest Innovation Partners, Henry Schein, PDS Health, and The American Dental Association will be available at the Oral Health Pavilion, including:

• Brett Kessler, DDS, President of The American Dental Association, available on 10/20 from 3 – 4:30 pm
• Wade Rakes, Chief Executive Officer, CareQuest Institute for Oral Health
• Leslie Carver, Chief Operating Officer, CareQuest Institute for Oral Health
• Katie D’Amico, Vice President of Growth and Innovation, CareQuest Innovation Partners
• David Kochman, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer, Henry Schein
• Stephen E. Thorne IV, BA, MHA, Founder and CEO, PDS Health

WHEN: Attendees are encouraged to sit in on panel discussions on Monday, October 20, featuring Leslie Carver, Chief Operating Officer at CareQuest Institute for Oral Health and Brett Kessler, DDS, President of The American Dental Association, and Tuesday October 21, featuring Stephen Thorne, founder and CEO of PDS Health.

• Oral Health is Health: How Community Health Centers Are Leading Primary Care and Oral Health Integration Community Health Centers
  • Monday, October 20, 9:00 – 10:00 am
  • Moderator: Cheryl Parker, Executive Director, NNOHA
  • Panelists: Leslie Carver, Chief Operating Officer, CareQuest Institute for Oral Health; Pamela Oren-Artzi, Co-Founder and COO, Grin; and An Nguyen, Chief Dental Officer, Clinica Family Health & Wellness
• Sounding the Alarm on our Healthcare Workforce and Access Crisis
  • Monday, October 20, 1:10 – 1:40 pm, Ethos Stage
  • Moderator: Sharmila Makhija, MD, MBA, Founding Dean and CEO of the Alice L. Walton School of Medicine
  • Panelists: Brett Kessler, DDS, President of The American Dental Association, and Bobby Mukkamala, MD, President of The American Medical Association
• Love Bugs
  • Tuesday, October 21, 3:10-3:50 pm, Holos Stage
  • Moderator: Andrew Bluestein, Co-Founder & Managing Partner, Bluestein Ventures
  • Panelists: Stephen E. Thorne IV BA, MHA, Founder and CEO, PDS Health; Edward Zuckerberg, DDS, F.A.G.D., Chief Education Officer, Oral Biolife; Priyanka Jain, Co-Founder & CEO, Evvy; Sofia Elizondo, MBA, Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer, Brightseed

LOGISTICS:

• When: October 19-22, 2025
• Where: The Venetian Expo, Las Vegas (Booth 3142)
• Registration: HLTH 2025 conference pass required

About CareQuest Innovation Partners

CareQuest Innovation Partners® validates and scales transformative solutions to improve overall health through oral health. Together, with our ecosystem of leading industry partners, startups, and investors, we make health care more accessible, equitable, and integrated. CareQuest Innovation Partners is the for-profit subsidiary of CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, and they are joined by the shared mission to improve the oral health of all. To learn more, visit carequestinnovation.com and follow us on X/Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Henry Schein, Inc.

Henry Schein, Inc. (Nasdaq: HSIC) is a solutions company for health care professionals powered by a network of people and technology. With more than 25,000 Team Schein Members worldwide, the Company’s network of trusted advisors provides more than 1 million customers globally with more than 300 valued solutions that help improve operational success and clinical outcomes. Our Business, Clinical, Technology, and Supply Chain solutions help office-based dental and medical practitioners work more efficiently so they can provide quality care more effectively. These solutions also support dental laboratories, government and institutional health care clinics, as well as other alternate care sites.

Henry Schein operates through a centralized and automated distribution network, with a selection of more than 300,000 branded products and Henry Schein corporate brand products in our distribution centers.

A FORTUNE 500 Company and a member of the S&P 500® index, Henry Schein is headquartered in Melville, N.Y., and has operations or affiliates in 33 countries and territories. The Company’s sales reached $12.7 billion in 2024, and have grown at a compound annual rate of approximately 11.2 percent since Henry Schein became a public company in 1995.

For more information, visit Henry Schein at www.henryschein.com, Facebook.com/HenrySchein, Instagram.com/HenrySchein, LinkedIn.com/Company/HenrySchein, and @HenrySchein on X.

About PDS Health
PDS Health® continues the journey started by Pacific Dental Services® in 1994, with a vision to redefine health care through the integration of dental and medical services. Its approach, centered on the connection between oral health and overall health, aims to create healthier, happier patients and set new benchmarks in the healthcare industry. As a leading provider of integrated healthcare support, the company delivers a broad spectrum of services to dental, dental specialties, and medical providers, enhancing operations and care delivery for clinicians across the U.S. For more information about PDS Health and its vision, visit pdshealth.com.

Media Contact

Sara Ward

sward@carequest.org