The American Association of Orthodontists (AAO) Committee on Technology (C-TECH) has awarded the 2021 AAO Ortho Innovator Award to Dr. Adam Schulhof of Grin, which enables the remote monitoring of orthodontic patients’ progress between in-person visits.
Now in its third year, the AAO Ortho Innovator program is part of an ongoing effort to support innovation among orthodontists and partners in the industry, the AAO said. C-TECH reviewed 40 entries for this year’s competition.
Businesses considered eligible to enter the competition are companies offering new products or services for orthodontic treatment or orthodontic practice management. C-TECH evaluates each business by its uniqueness, originality, functionality, or feasibility, and value for the orthodontic practice.
“Our entire team is very excited to receive the AAO Ortho Innovator Award,” said Schulhof, who practices orthodontics in Oradell, New Jersey. “My original goal was always to create a company, that addresses convenience and remote monitoring needs successfully while keeping patient health a top priority.”
Grin Remote Monitoring & Consultation are made possible by the Grin App and the Grin Scope, the company said, a patent-pending, FDA-listed medical device.
The scope is an intraoral adapter that retracts the cheeks, allowing a complete view into any patient’s mouth remotely. It works in concert with the Grin App to create high-quality, orthodontist-ready, self-scanned patient videos, Grin said.
Teledentistry has become a convenient and popular option for patients seeking treatment due to COVID-19 precautions, the AAO said. The AAO strongly supports the incorporation of teledentistry methods for orthodontic treatment as long as proper precautions are incorporated to protect patients’ health and safety.
“I also wanted to convey a strong message to consumers about the importance of utilizing an orthodontist for orthodontic treatment,” said Schulhof. “With the Grin Remote Monitoring Platform, orthodontists can see into a patient’s mouth much as they could during an in-person appointment.”
C-TECH also announced other finalists for the 2021 award:
- First runner-up: Braces on Demand
- Second runner-up: uLab Systems
- Finalist: Dentagrafix
- Finalist: Halcomb LLC Simple Tooth Uprighting Device
- Finalist: InBrace
- Finalist: Orvance
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