1. health and fitness
2. dental care

23
PRODUCTS
ON THE
COVER
How these ESTEEMED PRODUCTS AND SERVICES are
selected, and DPR’s plan for ongoing coverage.
Leaders in technology
innovation
The Best of Class advisory board names this year’s honorees.
[ by Laura Dorr]
EVERY DAY, INNOVATIVE NEW PRODUCTS and tech-
nologies 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. These are the recipients of the
seventh annual Pride Institute Best of Class Technology Awards.
This year, the Best of Class advisory board singled
out 23 honorees for recognition. Over the next several issues, DPR will spotlight each of these honorees
and include feedback from the advisory board on
what made these products stand out from the competition, as well as reviews from dentists who’ve seen
results from these products in their practices. To kick
off this year’s coverage, DPR 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 not 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 emerg-
THE ADVISORY BOARD
Acknowledging the dynamic decision-making that comes
from bringing great minds and great dentists together, once
again this year’s honorees were selected by a distinguished
board of dental professionals. In our 2015 coverage of the
honorees, every board member will contribute insights
from his own experience with the product or category.
ing 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.
2015–2016
HONOREES
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What are the biggest challenges in
selecting the winners?
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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. We don’t care if there
are four winners or 14. 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 completed.
Why should people pay attention to
products that receive Best of Class
recognition?
We have 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
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Dr. Lou Shuman, DMD, CAGS—Best of Class founder
John Flucke, DDS—Writer, speaker and technology
editor for Dental Products Report
Paul Feuerstein, DMD—Writer, speaker and technology
editor for Dental Economics
3Shape TRIOS
ACTEON North America SoproLIFE/
SoproCARE
Air Techniques ProVecta S-Pan
AMD Picasso lasers
Bien-Air iOptima/iChiropro
Dental Practice Solutions Solutionreach
DentaPure
DEXIS CariVu
DEXIS 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 Sovereign Chair System
Propel Orthodontics Excellerators
Orascoptic EyeZoom
Shofu EyeSpecial C-II
Ultradent VALO
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 dentists’ practices, their teams and
their patients. •
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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 and columnist for Dr. Bicuspid
June 2015 | DENTALPRODUCTSREPORT.COM | 3