Forward Science
Forward Science is a privately held, vertically integrated MedTech company that designs, manufactures, and sells FDA-cleared oral healthcare products and medical devices to DSOs, independent dental practices, and oncology patients in the US and internationally.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2012
- HeadquartersStafford, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Forward Science does
Forward Science is a privately held, vertically integrated MedTech company founded in 2012 in Houston, Texas, by biomedical engineers Robert J. Whitman (CEO) and Brian Pikkula (President, CSO & CTO). The firm designs, develops, manufactures, and commercializes oral healthcare products and medical devices in-house at its FDA-registered 16,000 ft2 facility on Craighead Drive, and operates wholly owned subsidiaries including Forward Manufacturing, Forward Social, and Forward Staffing Services. Its product portfolio is anchored on three proprietary technology platforms: fluorescence-based oral mucosal screening (OralID, a battery-operated handheld oral cancer screening device), chitosan microsphere drug delivery (PerioStōm, a non-drug periodontal wound dressing applied post-scaling and root planing), and supersaturated calcium phosphate formulation (SalivaMAX, a rinse for xerostomia and radiation/chemotherapy-induced mucositis), with adjacent products BioStōm, TheraStōm, OxiStōm, SalivaGUM, and the FACT Oral Health Protocol.
The company's commercial model combines enterprise sales to dental service organizations (DSOs), direct sales to independent dental practices, an e-commerce storefront (shop.forwardscience.com), and contract manufacturing services. Its flagship customer relationships are with Heartland Dental (the largest US DSO, 1,900+ supported practices) and Aspen Dental Management Inc. (1,100+ offices, now the fourth product collaboration), with additional distribution through Sage Dental and international distribution partners. Marketing is supported by content, social media, the CEO-authored 'LFG! Let's Find Greatness!' newsletter, and the annual Moving Science Forward Clinical DSO Leadership Summit. Forward Science is founder-owned, has consciously avoided private equity ownership, and reports no external funding rounds.
Forward Science firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Forward Science
- Legal name
- Forward Science Technologies LLC
- Website
- https://forwardscience.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2012
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Forward Science is a privately held, vertically integrated MedTech company that designs, manufactures, and sells FDA-cleared oral healthcare products and medical devices to DSOs, independent dental practices, and oncology patients in the US and internationally.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Forward Science industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Dental Medical Devices
- NAICS
- Surgical and Medical Instrument Manufacturing (339112), Pharmaceutical and Medicine Manufacturing (32541)
- SIC
- Surgical & Medical Instruments & Apparatus (3841), Pharmaceutical Preparations (2834)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Process Development & Tech Transfer Services (CDMO) (HLAGABAL)
Keywords
Where Forward Science is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Stafford
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Forward Science business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Supply Chain
Revenue model
- Medical Device Sales: Forward Science generates revenue through the sale of medical devices including OralID (oral cancer screening device) and related accessories. The company manufactures these products in-house at their FDA-registered facility.
- Pharmaceutical/Oral Care Product Sales: Revenue from FDA-cleared drug and medical device products including PerioStōm (periodontal wound dressing), SalivaMAX (mucositis treatment), BioStōm, TheraStōm, and OxiStōm. These products are sold to dental practices and DSOs.
- Contract Manufacturing Services: Forward Science offers contract manufacturing services through their FDA-certified facility (Forward Manufacturing) to other companies, generating additional revenue streams.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Forward Science product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Forward Science is a vertically integrated MedTech company that designs, develops, manufactures, and commercializes oral health care products and medical devices. Its portfolio includes FDA-cleared medical devices and drug products for oral cancer screening, periodontal wound care, dry mouth and mucositis treatment, and post-extraction oral care, produced in-house at its FDA-registered facility in Houston, Texas. The company also offers contract manufacturing services through its Forward Manufacturing subsidiary.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- PerioStōm: FDA-cleared, non-drug oral wound dressing powered by chitosan microsphere technology for periodontal care and oral mucosal protection.
- OralID
- SalivaMAX
- SalivaGUM
- BioStōm
- TheraStōm
- OxiStōm
- FACT Oral Health Protocol
Products and services
- OralID Battery-operated, handheld oral cancer screening device that uses fluorescence technology to help clinicians detect oral mucosal abnormalities, including oral cancer and pre-cancerous conditions. FDA-cleared and used by dental professionals for routine oral cancer screenings during dental visits.
- PerioStōm FDA-cleared, non-drug oral wound dressing powered by proprietary chitosan microspheres. Applied directly into the periodontal pocket following procedures such as scaling and root planing to form a protective, bio-adhesive barrier that supports gingival healing. Delivered with an advanced stainless-steel curved tip applicator.
- SalivaMAX Supersaturated calcium phosphate rinse clinically proven to treat dry mouth (xerostomia) and mucositis. Indicated for dryness of the mouth or throat regardless of cause, and as an adjunct to standard oral care in treating mucositis caused by radiation or high-dose chemotherapy.
- SalivaGUM Oral health care product for saliva management, part of the company's oral care portfolio.
- BioStōm Oral hydrogel wound dressing made from all-natural, food-grade ingredients including acemannan, xylitol, and essential oils. Used for dry socket prevention and treatment of alveolar osteitis, protecting extraction sites and soothing oral tissues.
- TheraStōm Product in the Stōm product line for oral health applications, including periodontal and oral mucosal care.
- OxiStōm Product in the Stōm product line for oral health applications, including periodontal and oral mucosal care.
- Forward Manufacturing (Contract Manufacturing Services) Contract manufacturing services provided through Forward Science's FDA-registered medical device and drug manufacturing facility in Houston, Texas, available to other companies requiring FDA-compliant production capabilities.
Quantifiable outcome
- 72% reduction in bleeding on probing with PerioStōm after scaling and root planing (vs. 14% with SRP alone)
- +3 more outcomes
Companies that use Forward Science
Customer profileNamed customers4 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Forward Science technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Forward Science partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- Heartland DentalflagshipForward Science announces collaboration with Heartland Dental to bring PerioStōm to supported doctors and hygiene providers across more than 1,900 supported practices nationwide. This reflects shared commitment to advancing periodontal care through early intervention, clinical innovation, and improved patient outcomes.
- Aspen Dental Management, Inc. (ADMI)flagshipForward Science announced partnership with Aspen Dental to provide PerioStōm to independent dentists in more than 1,100 Aspen Dental offices nationwide. This marks the fourth collaboration between Forward Science and ADMI, following successful partnerships with OralID, TheraStōm, and OxiStōm. PerioStōm is an FDA-cleared, non-drug wound dressing designed to enhance periodontal care and improve patient outcomes.
- Heartland DentalflagshipForward Science collaboration with Heartland Dental to provide PerioStōm to supported doctors and hygiene providers across more than 1,900 practices nationwide. Heartland Dental is the largest dental support organization in the United States. The partnership focuses on early intervention in periodontal care and improved patient outcomes.
- Sage DentalcoreSage Dental partnered with Forward Science on PerioStōm, providing a non-antibiotic product for use at the earliest sign of disease. Sage Dental has been committed to advancing patient care through innovation and PerioStōm supports their mission.
- Children's National Children's Cancer SocietyminorForward Science donated SalivaMAX to a children's cancer facility in Kyrgyzstan through the Children's National Children's Cancer Society partnership. The facility treats children with cancer who experience dry mouth and mucositis during chemotherapy treatment.
- International Distribution PartnerscoreForward Science partners with international distributors to make products including SalivaMAX, OralID, and BioStōm available globally through international distribution arrangements.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Forward Science competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Dentsply Sirona: Largest pure-play dental equipment and consumables manufacturer globally. Overlaps with Forward Science across preventive dental products and clinical workflow tools, but operates at vastly greater scale across endodontics, orthodontics, and imaging rather than specializing in oral screening and wound care.
- HuFriedyGroup (by STERIS): Dental infection prevention, instruments, and consumables business, owned by STERIS post-2022 acquisition. Overlaps with Forward Science's dental hygiene and surgical consumables focus, but operates within a much broader healthcare sterilization and infection prevention portfolio.
- Oral-B (Procter & Gamble): Consumer oral-care brand owned by P&G that competes in patient-recommended hygiene and screening conversations. Indirect competitor because Forward Science operates in dental-practice channel rather than consumer retail, but P&G's potential moves into professional oral screening keep it materially comparable.
- 3M Oral Care (Solventum): Former 3M Oral Care business now operating as Solventum, with a sizable dental restoratives, preventive, and digital orthodontics portfolio. Comparable on customer base (DSOs and group practices) and category breadth in preventive dentistry.
- Colgate-Palmolive (Colgate Oral Care): Global oral-care leader whose professional division sells preventive products into dental practices. Comparable on end-market (oral hygiene/periodontal maintenance) and adjacent technology interest in screening, though distributed primarily through consumer retail.
Direct peers
- Young Innovations: Mid-market dental preventive products and instruments company serving DSOs and group practices. Direct overlap with Forward Science's oral health portfolio (preventive care, hygiene consumables, saliva management) and DSO-centric GTM motion make it the closest mid-market comparable.
- Premier Dental Products Company: Privately held dental products manufacturer focused on preventive care, endodontics, and hygiene consumables. Directly comparable in business model (vertical integration, clinical-evidence-led sales) and overlap in dental prophy and adjunctive care categories.
- Brasseler USA: Dental and surgical instrumentation manufacturer with strong DSO relationships. Comparable to Forward Science in serving dental professionals with clinically differentiated devices and consumables, though concentrated in rotary instrumentation rather than oral screening/wound care.
- SS White Dental: Long-established dental instruments and consumables manufacturer with DSO and dental school distribution. Similar mid-sized, privately held dental manufacturer profile and overlap in clinical product categories addressed to DSO and group practice buyers.
Emerging players
- VideaHealth: AI-powered dental imaging and caries-detection company serving DSOs and dental practices. Comparable because it competes for the same DSO clinical-decision-support budget and category-mindshare for early detection, but uses software/AI rather than device-based fluorescence screening.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Forward Science social profiles
Digital presenceForward Science financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Forward Science leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles4 records
Forward Science subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries4 records
Forward Science funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Forward Science M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Forward Science
What does Forward Science do?
Forward Science is a vertically integrated MedTech company that designs, develops, manufactures, and commercializes oral health care products and medical devices. Its portfolio includes FDA-cleared medical devices and drug products for oral cancer screening, periodontal wound care, dry mouth and mucositis treatment, and post-extraction oral care, produced in-house at its FDA-registered facility in Houston, Texas. The company also offers contract manufacturing services through its Forward Manufacturing subsidiary.
Is Forward Science a public or private company?
Forward Science is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Forward Science founded?
Forward Science was founded in 2012. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Forward Science based?
Forward Science is headquartered in Stafford, United States, in the North America region.
How does Forward Science make money?
Three revenue lines are on record. Medical Device Sales are the primary driver. The others are pharmaceutical/Oral Care Product Sales and contract Manufacturing Services.
Who are Forward Science's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Dentsply Sirona, HuFriedyGroup (by STERIS), Oral-B (Procter & Gamble), 3M Oral Care (Solventum) and Colgate-Palmolive (Colgate Oral Care). Direct peers are Young Innovations, Premier Dental Products Company, Brasseler USA and SS White Dental. VideaHealth is listed as an emerging player.
Does Forward Science have an API?
No public API is recorded for Forward Science.
What industry is Forward Science in?
Forward Science's product category is Dental Medical Devices. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLAGABAL, Process Development & Tech Transfer Services (CDMO). Its NAICS code is 339112 and its SIC code is 3841.