Concussion management technology company HITIQ (ASX:HIQ) has expanded its partnership with Bupa Dental for 2023 following an initial, positive retail roll-out in 2022.
The company says the expanded partnership ‘significantly’ increases the HITIQ smart mouthguard sales channels to up to 184 Bupa Dental clinics Australia-wide, and has been made ahead of an ‘intensive’ mouthguard sale period leading up to amateur Australian Rules Football, Rugby League, and Rugby Union seasons.
Adding on, HITIQ notes the expansion of clinics will have more than tripled the number of clinics that can offer the HITIQ mouthguards Australia-wide.
It is reported that the company is unable to reliably estimate the level of sales from this partnership, however the Board is pleased that Bupa continues to support the company’s product into its expanded clinics and hopes to leverage off the timing moving into winter sports in the Southern Hemisphere.
Addressing the agreement, HITIQ Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mike Vegar said: “We are delighted to extend this relationship with Bupa Dental on the back of a positive retail roll-out last year. Together with Bupa Dental we discussed many learnings from last year and plan on a more efficient and expanded program this year. Along with Bupa Dental, we are bringing to fruition elite sporting equipment to grassroots markets. Our goal is to provide easy-to-use technology, which parents and amateur athletes can use to identify risk and implement the appropriate interventions more easily.”
“We are delighted to extend this relationship with Bupa Dental on the back of a positive retail roll-out last year”
Also speaking on the extended agreement, Bupa Dental Managing Director of Health Services Glenn Thompson said it is looking forward to continuing its partnership with HITIQ over 2023: “Initial results of our partnership were very promising and we look forward to working with HITIQ over 2023 to offer this solution across an expanded suite of our Australian dental practices. We remain proud to be at the forefront of technology as the first dental network to offer the HITIQ solution to Australian’s to help make community sport a safer experience.”
The company also notes concussion is a growing concern at amateur sports levels, with recent reports suggesting 4 out of 10 amateur players suffer from some level of trauma linked to repeated head injuries and blows to the head.
Data gathered from HITIQ’s smart mouthguard data has revealed that across the ‘major’ Australian contact sports codes, an average of 13 head impacts are sustained per game.
HITIQ is an ASX-listed company that operates in the healthcare equipment sector, providing and further developing a transformative, end-to-end concussion management technology platform. This platform aims to provide a total concussion ecosystem whereby the company’s products support the identification, monitoring, and management of sport related brain injury.
