LED Dental Inc. announced that the VELscope Mantis, a new generation of its oral mucosal screening technology, will be available beginning June 30, 2026. According to the company, the VELscope Mantis is a redesign of its fluorescence visualization platform that integrates three visualization modes, a wider field of view, enhanced image filtering and iPhone-based photo documentation into a cordless, rechargeable device.
The company said the device is named after the mantis shrimp, whose visual system can perceive wavelengths and contrasts beyond human capability. According to LED Dental, the device is designed to help dental professionals identify subtle changes in tissue fluorescence and reflectance that may indicate early-stage mucosal abnormalities.
According to the company, the VELscope Mantis combines blue-light fluorescence visualization, polarized white-light reflectance and traditional white-light illumination in a single handpiece. Blue-light fluorescence visualization causes healthy tissue to fluoresce in recognizable patterns, highlighting areas where fluorescence is diminished or altered. The company said polarized white-light reflectance removes glare and surface reflection to enhance color response and reveal subtle changes, while traditional white-light illumination provides lighting for standard visual examinations.
LED Dental said the device builds on the VELscope Vx platform with a wider field of view, enhanced image filtering for brighter fluorescence images and a mounted iPhone adapter that allows image capture during screening for case tracking, patient education and referrals. According to the company, the screening process remains non-invasive, requires no dyes or rinses and adds only a few minutes to a routine appointment.
The company noted that oral cancer affects approximately 54,000 new patients annually in the United States. According to the release, the five-year survival rate falls below 40% when the disease is diagnosed late but exceeds 80% for early-stage diagnoses. The company said adjunctive tools such as the VELscope Mantis are intended to provide clinicians with additional information to support the identification of tissue requiring further investigation.
“The VELscope Mantis is not a replacement for clinical judgment,” said Wayne Rees, CEO of LED Dental. “It provides additional tools for visualizing tissue change. Those tools can be the difference between finding potentially dangerous lesions early or late, and that can sometimes be a matter of life and death.”
The VELscope Mantis will be available through LED Dental’s authorized distributor network, including Patterson Dental, Henry Schein, Benco Dental and Darby Dental, according to the company. Pre-orders are currently open, and each system includes access to a complimentary two-hour continuing education program covering device operation, clinical interpretation and workflow integration.
LED Dental, headquartered in Vancouver, British Columbia, manufactures the VELscope family of oral mucosal screening devices, which the company said are used in tens of thousands of dental practices worldwide. More information is available at velscope.com.
