MouthWatch Continues “Tellies” Tradition in 2023, Celebrating Innovators in Teledentistry

2023's Tellie Award winners, from left to right: Robyn Shafer, RDH, Mainely Teeth, Nathan Suter, DDS, Chief Innovation Officer & Dental Director, Enable Dental, Shawn Oprisiu, Director of Dental Outreach, Swope Health Services, Michelle Roman, RDH, Chair of Dental Hygiene, Middlesex College, and Nadine Thompson, RDH, Instructor, Middlesex College. Winner Marko Vujicic not pictured. Image credit: © MouthWatch, LLC

Teledentistry and digital imaging experts MouthWatch has once again marked another year of teledental innovations with the 2023 “Tellies.” The Tellies were created specifically to acknowledge and celebrate clinicians, organizations, and programs that innovate in the virtual dental field, according to a press release from MouthWatch. 2023 marked the sixth year of celebrating teledentistry, with 5 award winners taking home this coveted award acknowledged at the Greater New York Dental Meeting at the end of November.

These award-winning groups, individuals, and programs stand as notable influences in the dental community, per MouthWatch & Dentistry One CEO Brant Herman, who expressed this sentiment in the press release. “We congratulate our Tellie Award winners for their outstanding work in the communities they serve, the research they produce, and for their ability to bring the success of teledentistry to the forefront in transforming care.”

The award winners are as follows:

• Marko Vujicic, chief economist and vice president of the American Dental Association (ADA) Health Policy Institute. Vujicic takes home the Dental Industry Innovator Award for his work in data and research collection and presentation, equipping dental professionals with the necessary knowledge to make the best decisions for both their practice and their patients.
• Dr Nathan Suter takes home the Dental Innovator Tellie Award. Dr Suter works with Enable Dental to bring dental care to underserved and vulnerable populations, expanding accessibility. As part of this mobile dental care initiative, Dr Suter assists dental professionals in incorporating teledentistry into their practice. Dr Suter is also vocal in his advocacy for teledentistry legislation, per the press release.
• Robyn Shafer, RDH, was awarded the Dental Hygiene Innovator Tellie, for her work in telehygiene and on the Mainely Teeth team. Shafer is celebrated for her work with students ranging from kindergarten all the way through high school, instructing and assisting them using the avenue of teledentistry. Shafer served over 30 individual schools across the state of Maine, according to MouthWatch.
• Middlesex College takes the Dental Education Innovator Tellie. This school is notable for its continued use and innovation in teledentistry, using the virtual platform to screen preschool students as well as a school for special needs students in order to make the specific referrals these patients may need. Middlesex College students participate in weekly rotations to provide care at their school clinic.
• Swope Health Mobile Dental Unit takes home the Oral Health Program Innovator award, for its role in providing preventative dental care to 2700 children in both the Kansas City, Missouri, and Kansas City, Kansas school districts, per the press release. Swope leveraged teledentistry and its mobile unit to accomplish this feat, making them a true innovator in this field.

Herman’s closing words echoed his enthusiasm for each of the winners and their accomplishments, with a bright future for teledentistry and dentistry as a whole on the horizon. “From supporting mobile services with teledentistry to reach vulnerable populations, reducing costs with virtual screenings and urgent care triage, to shaping the future of dentistry with continuous innovation, this year’s Tellie award winners are each paving the way for improved health outcomes,” Herman said in the press release.

More information on 2023’s Tellie Award winners is available on MouthWatch’s website here.