Henry Schein has once again earned a spot on Fortune magazine’s prestigious “Change the World” list, ranking among 52 companies recognized for combining profit with positive social impact. After the announcement on Wednesday, CEO Stanley M. Bergman stressed the urgent need to make dental care more accessible.
“If you spend money on oral care, you’ll spend less on health care,” Bergman told Fortune in an interview. “Everyone should have access to that—whether in good times or bad.”
Henry Schein, one of the world’s largest dental supply companies, was acknowledged for its emergency preparedness and response strategy, which supports health care professionals and communities around the globe.
Oral care’s growing role in overall health
The importance of oral health has become increasingly clear in recent years, as studies continue to link oral diseases to a range of serious health issues, from dementia to cancer. In a recent study, researchers at Tokyo Medical and Dental University found that a bacterium commonly linked to gum disease may also worsen rheumatoid arthritis.
“If you look at the root causes of many diseases, a large proportion ties back to oral health,” Bergman told Fortune.
According to the World Health Organization, oral cancer includes cancers of the lip, other parts of the mouth, and the oropharynx, ranking as the 13th most common cancer worldwide.
The WHO Global Oral Health Status Report (2022) estimates that oral diseases affect nearly 3.5 billion people globally, with three out of four affected individuals residing in middle-income countries. Overall, oral diseases disproportionately impact the poor and socially disadvantaged members of society.
Why Henry Schein made the list
This is Henry Schein’s fourth time on Fortune’s “Change the World” list. The company was previously recognized for expanding access to oral health care for underserved populations in 2018, for its role as a co-founder and private sector lead of the Pandemic Supply Chain Network in 2020, and for advancing health equity for individuals with disabilities in 2022.
Bergman noted the company’s long-standing commitment to corporate responsibility: “Since 1932, Henry Schein has been driven by the belief that we can align our business strengths with society’s needs to effect positive change.”
Competition on the Change the World list
The Fortune list, which was compiled through the magazine’s reporting and analysis, included 250 nominees. This year’s winners were drawn from a wide geographical spread, with 30 companies from North America, 12 from Europe, eight from Asia and Australia, one from Africa, and one from South America.
In addition to companies innovating in space exploration, this year’s list highlights those using AI for good. Notable examples include Ello (No. 5), which addresses childhood literacy gaps with personalized reading tutorials, and Alibaba Group (No. 8), which uses AI to detect pancreatic cancer lesions.
Levi Strauss (No. 13) was recognized for its efforts to increase voter turnout, encouraging retail employees to exercise their right to vote.
Top 10 on the Fortune 2024 Change the World List:
- GHGSat, Rocket Lab, SpaceX (Canada, U.S., U.S.)
- Grab (Singapore)
- Viettel Group (Vietnam)
- Maven Clinic (U.S.)
- Ello (U.S.)
- Globant (Argentina)
- Cognizant and Cisco (U.S.)
- Alibaba Group (China)
- Commercial International Bank (Egypt)
- Honeywell (U.S.)
