METUCHEN, N.J., Feb. 17, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Advantage Dental from DentaQuest, the University of Rochester Eastman Institute for Oral Health, Dr. Scott Howell, Dr. Barry Raphael, and Jingjing Qian, RDH, were recognized for the differences they have made to patient care and as teledentistry innovators at the third annual Teledentistry Innovation Awards.
According to MouthWatch, LLC, CEO and founder Brant Herman, “2020 presented significant challenges to dentistry and the world at large, but the year also marked a time of unprecedented growth and innovation in the teledentistry field.”
Nicknamed the “Tellies,” the awards were created by MouthWatch to highlight dental professionals and organizations bringing telehealth to dental care and the positive impacts they make. The awards were presented on Friday, February 5th at an online virtual event. The awardees describe their implementation of teledentistry and how it has made a difference to their patient communities in video interviews available at teledentistryinnovationawards.com/2020Live.
In past years, Teledentistry Innovation Awards winners were named in the following categories:
- Dentist/Specialist Teledentistry Innovator
- Dental Hygiene Teledentistry Innovator
- Oral Health Program Teledentistry Innovator
New for the 2020 Tellies were two special COVID Response categories:
- COVID-19 Response – Provider
- COVID-19 Response – Oral Health Program
The five 2020 Tellies recipients announced are:
Scott Howell, DMD, MPHAT Still University/Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health
Award Category: Dentist/Specialist
Dr. Scott Howell developed a robust oral health program at AT Still University/Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU-ASDOH). To date, this program has trained over 300 students in teledentistry. Students learn about how they can use the technology to reach a diverse patient population and evaluate digital records collected via teledentistry.
Jingjing Qian RDH, EAYour Special Smiles PLLC
Award Category: Dental Hygiene
Ms. Qian and her dentist, Dr. Brooke Fukuoka developed the Guided Oral Hygiene Program, in which caregivers were trained on how to gather information via teledentistry and then leveraged live teledentistry interactions to help caregivers with patient-specific oral hygiene regimens. During the COVID-19 pandemic, this teledentistry-enabled touchpoint was the only dental service many of these patients received for months.
University of Rochester Eastman Institute for Oral HealthDr. Sean McLaren
Award Category: Oral Health Program
The University of Rochester Eastman Institute for Oral Health has published significant studies on teledentistry. Its accomplishments also include real-world implementations of teledentistry in oral health programs that provide care to underserved patients in the Greater Rochester, NY region. The University’s innovative deployment of teledentistry is part of its long experience and successful track record in designing, implementing, and sustaining community-based oral health programs—including outreach programs that have been replicated nationwide.
Barry Raphael, DMD / The Raphael Center for Integrative Orthodontics
Award Category: COVID-19 Response – Provider
During the pandemic’s peak, many dental clinicians were pausing dental procedures and maintenance appointments because face-to-face interactions posed a very real risk of COVID-19 transmission. Dr. Barry Raphael, a practicing orthodontist for over 30 years, decided to innovate. He implemented teledentistry to reduce risk while maintaining patient contact, including developing new ways to provide patient education and monitoring via teledentistry.
Advantage Dental from DentaQuest Care Group
Award Category: COVID-19 Response – Oral Health Program
Teledentistry was long supported through Advantage Dental’s outreach and mobile programs. The recent teledentistry rollout across their over 80 practice locations were crucial in addressing urgent care needs during COVID-19. Through virtual consultations facilitated with their providers and member service representatives, patients had easy access to experienced clinical assistance when practices were open only for emergencies.
About MouthWatch
MouthWatch is the founder of the Teledentistry Innovation Awards and the developer of the teledentistry platform, TeleDent™. In 2020, MouthWatch was ranked #1303 in the 2020 Inc. 5000 list of the Fastest Growing Privately Held Companies. In addition, the company in 2020 earned the following dental industry awards: The 2020 Cellerant Best of Class Award for TeleDent; Dentistry Today Magazine’s 2020 Top Innovative Products Award for TeleDent; Dentaltown Magazine’s 2020 Dental Townie Choice Award™ for the MouthWatch intraoral camera; Dentistry Today Magazine’s Top 100 Products Award for the MouthWatch intraoral camera.
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SOURCE MouthWatch, LLC
