The Forsyth Institute

What The Forsyth Institute does

The ADA Forsyth Institute is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) oral health research institute headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, formed in October 2023 through the integration of the 1910-founded Forsyth Institute with the American Dental Association. It is the only independent U.S. research institute focused on the connections between oral health and systemic wellness, and ranks #1 nationally among dental institutions in NIDCR funding (over $11.8 million in FY2025), with a top-10 ranking sustained every year since 2002.

The institute operates across four interlocking pillars: basic and translational research in oral microbiome science, inflammation and immunology, and craniofacial biology and bioengineering; clinical and translational research delivered through the Forsyth Faculty Associates dental clinic and supported by seven shared core services (Advanced Microscopy, Pre-Clinical Research, Biostatistics, Flow Cytometry, MicroCT, Multiplex, and Oral Microbiome); community programs including ForsythKids (mobile dental care at 70+ Eastern Massachusetts sites), ForsythCares (pilot for low-income older adults), and the 30+ year Forsyth Student Scholars STEM pipeline; and technology development through a Somerville-based startup incubator, sponsored research, and FDA-enabling research. Proprietary scientific assets include the first-ever cultivation of Saccharibacteria (TM7x), targeted mutagenesis on an episymbiosis pathway via cryo-electron tomography, and the FDA Network of Experts authority on oral health products renewed through 2030.

Revenue is generated through five streams: NIH/NIDCR grant funding (primary), clinical research services for industry clients (including first-in-human trials), technology development and FDA-enabling services via the incubator and core labs, patient care revenue from Forsyth Faculty Associates, and educational programs. Major industry partners include IR Scientific, Flightpath Biosciences, Dentsply Sirona, Patterson Companies, Delta Dental of Massachusetts, and PDS Health Technologies (Epic EHR, June 2026). The institute convenes the dentech and dentech-Asia innovation summits, which in 2025 attracted 38 CEOs, 49 VP-level executives, and 55 C-suite participants, and has expanded internationally with co-hosts Seoul National University and Peking University School of Stomatology.

Name

The Forsyth Institute

Legal name

The ADA Forsyth Institute

Website

https://forsyth.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1910

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

The ADA Forsyth Institute is a nonprofit oral health research institute formed by the 2023 integration of the 1910-founded Forsyth Institute with the American Dental Association, conducting basic, translational, and clinical research; operating community dental programs; and supporting oral health startups through its Somerville incubator.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Oral Health Research Services

NAICS

Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) (541714), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services (54)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Global Health Research, Evidence & Technical Assistance Organizations (HLAJAKAN)

Keywords

• Oral health research
• Dental clinical trials
• Oral microbiome research
• Translational research services
• Biomedical incubator programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Cambridge

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. NIH/NIDCR Grant Funding: Primary revenue stream from competitive NIH grants, particularly from NIDCR. Ranked #1 nationally among dental institutions with over $11.8M in NIDCR funding in FY 2025. Has been ranked top 10 every year since 2002.
2. Clinical Research Services: The Center for Clinical and Translational Research provides clinical research services to external companies and organizations, including first-in-human clinical trials.
3. Technology Development Services: Incubator program, sponsored research partnerships with industry, FDA-enabling research, and core services to external companies and startups.
4. Educational Programs: Postdoctoral opportunities, research training certificates, high school internship program (Forsyth Student Scholars), and continuing education courses.
5. Patient Care Revenue: Forsyth Faculty Associates dental clinic provides patient care generating revenue. ForsythKids community program provides free care to underserved children.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Forsyth Institute is a nonprofit research organization that conducts basic, translational, and clinical research on oral health and its connection to overall wellness. It sells sponsored research, FDA-enabling clinical research services, shared laboratory core services, a startup incubator program, and technology development services to industry partners and entrepreneurs, while also delivering patient dental care through Forsyth Faculty Associates. Funding is anchored by competitive NIH/NIDCR grants, augmented by sponsored-research contracts, conference sponsorships, donations, and clinical revenue.

Product overview

The ADA Forsyth Institute is a nonprofit oral health research institute (integrated with the American Dental Association in October 2023) that operates multiple interconnected programs. Its offerings span community health programs (ForsythKids mobile dental care for children, ForsythCares for low-income older adults), educational initiatives (Forsyth Student Scholars internship program, Forsyth Academy for Continuing Education/FACE), clinical care (Forsyth Faculty Associates dental clinic), technology development (Startup Incubator Program, Core Services including advanced microscopy and microbiome cores), and convening events (annual ADA Forsyth dentech conference and the international dentech-Asia). The institute's research infrastructure includes a Center for Clinical and Translational Research, and it recently implemented the Epic EHR platform at its dental clinic to advance medical-dental integration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Forsyth Faculty Associates Dental Clinic In-house dental clinic serving as the hub for ADA Forsyth's Center for Clinical and Translational Research and as the home base for community dentistry programs, providing routine dental care and clinical study participation to patients.
• Forsyth Academy for Continuing Education (FACE) Continuing education and professional development courses for dental professionals, offered as part of ADA Forsyth's technology innovation ecosystem.
• ADA Forsyth dentech Conference Series Annual oral health innovation summit convened by ADA Forsyth, bringing together investors, startups, clinicians, and industry leaders, with international expansion via dentech-Asia; attendees include C-suite executives, VPs, and deans.
• Startup Incubator Program Somerville-based startup incubator supporting entrepreneurs commercializing oral health technologies, including wet-lab space, scientific mentorship, and industry connections through ADA Forsyth's technology development services.
• Core Services Shared research infrastructure available to external clients including Advanced Microscopy, Pre-Clinical Research (Animal Facility), Biostatistics, Flow Cytometry, MicroCT, Multiplex, and Oral Microbiome cores with sequencing and data-analysis capabilities.
• Center for Clinical and Translational Research Clinical research services provided to external sponsors including first-in-human clinical trials, clinical study management, and patient recruitment, with translation of ADA Forsyth scientific discoveries into clinical applications.
• Technology Development Services Bundle of sponsored research, FDA-enabling research, core laboratory services, and commercialization support provided to oral health companies and startups globally.

Quantifiable outcome

• First-in-human clinical trial demonstrated significant reduction in dentin hypersensitivity from IR Scientific's Sensi-IP bioactive glass technology
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

AI capability3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• PDS Health TechnologiescoreTechnology or Integration · 16 June 2026Selected PDS Health Technologies to implement dental-optimized Epic EHR system at Forsyth Faculty Associates dental clinic. PDS will provide operational consulting, integrated imaging workflows, financing technologies and revenue cycle management services. Epic Cosmos will enable access to 300+ million patient records for research.
• Seoul National UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2026Co-host of inaugural dentech-Asia conference at Seoul National University's Siheung Campus Convention Center. Seog Bae Oh serves as Director of SNU-AFI Joint Research Center. Collaboration on oral health research and innovation.
• Peking University School of StomatologyflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 11 May 2026Co-host of inaugural dentech-Asia conference alongside ADA Forsyth and Seoul National University. Xuliang Deng, Dean of Peking University School of Stomatology, participated as moderator and panelist.
• Dental BeanflagshipGTM or Marketing Partner · 11 May 2026Organizer of dentech-Asia conference. CEO Dr. Sungwon Park shared vision of next generation digital dentistry. Key partner in bridging innovation between East and West.
• ODS Co. Ltd.coreGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 May 2026Gold sponsor of dentech-Asia conference. Major supporter of oral health innovation events.
• OraBiocoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 9 October 2025Platinum sponsor of dentech 2025. Longtime supporter of ADA Forsyth and major player in oral and systemic health innovation space.
• U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 August 2025ADA Forsyth renewed agreement through 2030 to serve among FDA Network of Experts as primary source of expert opinions on oral health products. Provides rapid access to supplement FDA's existing knowledge within Center of Devices and Radiological Health (CDRH) and Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER).
• GallagherminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 July 2025Sponsored player bags at 2nd Annual Golf Fundraiser event.
• Dentsply SironacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 28 May 2025Chief Clinical Officer Rainer Seemann participated in dentech-Asia panel on global manufacturing and business strategies. World's largest diversified manufacturer of professional dental products.
• Patterson CompaniescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ Distributor · 28 May 2025Chief Strategy and Development Officer Chris Reedy spoke on dento-Asia panel about U.S. distribution. One of the largest dental distributors in the U.S.
• Perkins CoiecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 28 May 2025Partner Michael Wise provided expertise on intellectual property protection at dentech-Asia panel. Legal expert helping Asian companies navigate U.S. market.
• JLL (Jones Lang LaSalle)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 April 2025JLL partnered with ADA Forsyth for construction of new headquarters at 100 Chestnut Street, Somerville. Top commercial real estate firm supporting life sciences infrastructure. Also supported 2nd Annual Golf Fundraiser as Gold Sponsor.
• Delta Dental of MassachusettscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 31 October 2024Partnership with Delta Dental of Massachusetts to expand ForsythKids school-based program in Canton and Quincy, Massachusetts. Delta Dental provides support for mobile dental care to underserved communities.
• Flightpath BiosciencescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 September 2024Collaboration on breakthrough study developing FP 100 (Hygromycin A), first-in-class narrow-spectrum antibiotic eliminating Fusobacterium nucleatum. Company funding the study at ADA Forsyth.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Broad incumbents

• National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR): The federal agency within NIH that funds dental and craniofacial research and is the primary grantor to ADA Forsyth. Directly comparable mission scope (oral health research) and serves as the benchmark against which ADA Forsyth is ranked annually for NIDCR funding.
• Allen Institute: Large independent nonprofit research institute with a comparable operating model (grant-funded research, technology cores, industry partnerships). Differs in scientific focus (brain science, cell science) but directly comparable as a translational, mission-driven research organization of similar scale.
• Dentsply Sirona: World's largest diversified manufacturer of professional dental products and an industry partner/conference participant with ADA Forsyth. Comparable as a broad incumbent in the oral health ecosystem that interfaces with ADA Forsyth on technology development, sponsored research, and global manufacturing strategies.

Direct peers

• University of Michigan School of Dentistry: Top NIDCR-funded dental research institution and direct competitor for federal oral health grants. Conducts biomedical, clinical, and translational oral health research comparable to ADA Forsyth, with significantly larger faculty and broader educational pipeline.
• Harvard School of Dental Medicine: Elite dental research institution located in the Boston/Cambridge area that competes with ADA Forsyth for NIDCR funding, talent, and translational research partnerships. Operates a comparable biomedical research model with deep hospital-system integrations.
• UCLA School of Dentistry: Major dental research institution and the previous employer of ADA Forsyth CEO Wenyuan Shi. Competes with ADA Forsyth for NIDCR funding and conducts comparable oral microbiome, immunology, and translational research, with a much larger faculty base.
• University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine: Top-tier dental research institution that competes with ADA Forsyth for NIDCR funding and talent. Engages in biomedical and clinical oral health research with strong university-hospital translational infrastructure, making it a direct research-output peer.
• Columbia University College of Dental Medicine: Competing dental research institution for NIDCR grants and talent in oral biology, craniofacial research, and translational science. Operates a comparable research model integrated with broader biomedical and medical school resources.

Emerging players

• Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering: Independent Harvard-affiliated research institute focused on translation of breakthrough biotechnologies, comparable to ADA Forsyth in model (independent research institute, sponsored research, FDA-enabling work, incubator-style translation). Differs in that it is broader in scope (not oral-health-specific).
• Flightpath Biosciences: Early-stage biotech startup sponsoring research at ADA Forsyth on FP 100 (Hygromycin A), a narrow-spectrum antibiotic targeting Fusobacterium nucleatum for periodontitis. Comparable as an emerging oral-health biotech leveraging ADA Forsyth's research capabilities and a customer/incubee of the institute.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/ForsythResearch
• Facebookfacebook.com/theforsythinsitute
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/the-forsyth-institute
• Instagraminstagram.com/forsythinstitute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about The Forsyth Institute