Pride Institute's "Best of Class" 2014: Today's top technologies

Laura Dorr;

Pride Institute's "Best of Class" 2014: Today's top technologies

June 2, 2015

Laura Dorr

Dental Products Report, Dental Products Report-2014-07-01, Issue 7

"This is the list every practitioner should be waiting for every year."

"This is the list every practitioner should be waiting for every year."

Amidst the day-to-day hustle and bustle, it’s easy to take for granted even the most cutting-edge products and technologies that streamline the job-but Pride Institute is ensuring that these technologies don’t go overlooked. Pride’s sixth annual Best of Class Technology Awards recognize the exemplary products and technologies that are rapidly redesigning approaches to patient care and practice management.

“This is the list every practitioner should be waiting for every year,” shared Best of Class founder and Pride Institute President Dr. Lou Shuman. “It has become a go-to list for the dental community, who can be completely confident they are purchasing the current state-of-the-art products. The goal is to find products and/or technologies that are considered clear differentiators; products that are truly class defining, above and beyond everything else in their respective categories.”

“...products that are truly class defining, above and beyond everything else in their respective categories.”

After a year of individual analysis and review, the distinguished technology experts of the Best of Class advisory board come together to share their findings and vote on the products and technologies that best embody these criteria. The products and technologies under review come from a range of critical development areas including 3D technology, data mining, evolving materials and more.

Selecting the winners “is a highly charged process since it is taken so seriously,” Dr. Shuman said. “It goes into the early hours of the next day. As they say, ‘when white smoke finally comes out of the chimney,’ the exhausted board members can go back to their hotels and then start the process all over again the next day.” The rigorous voting process is entirely non-profit and unbiased, and, to ensure impartiality, advisory board members are required to divulge any paid relationships with manufacturers. They are also ineligible to vote in any category in which they have a consulting relationship with a company. If the board members cannot identify a clear leader in a particular area, no award is given for that category. “We’re not looking to create a top 10 or top 20 list. We go into this with no preconceived number,” Dr. Shuman stated. “If there is not a product in a category that meets the criteria, we simply skip the category.”

“If there is not a product in a category that meets the criteria, we simply skip the category.”

In the end, 19 honorees were singled out 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, as well as reviews from dentists who have seen results from these products in their practices. In addition to our features and reviews, interested parties can get more information straight from the sources by interacting with the Best of Class companies at the Pride Technology Expo at the upcoming ADA Annual Meeting in San Antonio, Oct. 9-11.

Watch DPR's Kevin Henry and Dr. John Flucke, who also serves on the Pride Institute's advisory board, chat about voting for this year's Best of Class honorees

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 2014 coverage of the honorees, every board member will contribute insights from his own experience with the product or category.

Dr. Lou Shuman, DMD, CAGS

-President of Pride Institute, 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

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 and columnist for Dr. Bicuspid