Oral Health Salutes 2015 Best of Class “Award Winners”

Every day, innovative new products and technologies are pushing the dental industry forward, streamlining the job and redefining practice management, patient care and treatment. While there are many exciting emerging technologies and cutting-edge products, there are some that rise above the rest. Dental Products Report sat down with Best of Class founder Dr. Lou Shuman to learn about the significance of the awards.

What do you feel “Best of Class” recognition signifies?
Best of Class was created to be different from all other awards in the industry. As a result of the rigorous and uncompromising selection process, and a voting panel that is the most respected group of technology leaders in dentistry, the manufacturing community considers it the most prestigious award a company can receive. It signifies that a product has no only proven itself to be of great importance, but has separated itself from its competition as a true category leader.

What are the most important criteria you look for in the winning products?
There is no single criterion. Most important is practical innovation. A game changer. An emerging technology that will have significant impact. New technologies that can literally create their own category. Traditional products that, year in and year out, maintain their class leadership. All of these are considered and more.

What are the biggest challenges in selecting the winners?
Getting the board to agree by majority! These decisions are not easy and the advisory board takes them very seriously! Every Chicago MidWinter Meeting, the board gets together late one evening, shuts the door and goes into the wee hours of the next morning reviewing all the research they have done over the year. The process is unbiased and nonprofit. If a category does not provide a Best of Class designee, it is skipped. There is no top 20 or 50 here.

If one of the panel members has a consulting relationship with a company, it is divulged before we start and they are not allowed to vote in that specific category. So, when it is all over the white smoke comes out of the chimney and the most challenging aspect of the process is complete.

Why should people lay attention to products that receive Best of Class recognition?
We have to put in a tremendous amount of time and effort to create an award of the highest integrity and of the greatest meaning to the manufacturing community. We also strive to provide the practitioner community a list of products they can truly trust and recognize as critical components that should be integrated into their practice. The Best of Class logo signifies that dentistry’s technology leaders have deemed the product remarkable after evaluating the tremendous number of options available. The awards provide a guide of what products will provide the greatest benefit to a dentist’s practice, their team and their patients.

2015-2016 HONOUREES
3Shape TRIOS
ACTEON North American SoproLIFE/SoproCARE
Air Techniques Pro-Vecta S-Pan
AMD Picasso Lasers
Bien-Air iOptima/iChiroPro
Dental Practice Solutions SolutionReach
DentaPure
DEXIS CariVu
DECIS Imaging Suite
Digital Doc IRIS HD
Doxa Ceramir
Glidewell Bruxzir Anterior
Glidewell TS150 Mill
I-CAT FLX
Kerr Demi Ultra LED
Kerr SonicFill
LED Dental VELscope VX-LED
Liptak Dental DDS Rescue
Planmeca Soverign Chair System
Propel Orthodontics Excellerators
Orascoptic Eye Zoom
Shofu Eye Special C2
Ultradent VALO

THE ADVISORY BOARD
Acknowledging the dynamic decision-making that comes from bringing great minds and great dentists together, once again this year’s honourees were selected by a distinguished board of dental professionals. In our 2015 coverage of the honourees, every board member will contribute insights from his own experience with the product or category.

Dr. Lou Shuman, DMD, CAGS – Best of Class founder

John Flucke, DDS – Writer, speaker and Technology Editor for Dental Product Report

Paul Feuerstein, DMD – Writer, speaker and Technology Editor for Dentistry Today

Parag Kachalia, DDS – Vice-Chair of Preclinical Education, Research and Technology, University of Pacific School of Dentistry

Marty Jablow, DMD – Writer, speaker and technology consultant columnist for Dr. Bicuspid

Reprinted with permission.
Article by Laura Dorr,
July 2014, Dental Product Report.