Past Tellies Award Winners: 2023

  • Swope Health Mobile Dental Unit

    Oral Health Program Innovator

    Swope Health Mobile Dental Unit

    In the 2022-2023 school year, the Swope Health Mobile Dental Unit (MDU) served 2700 children across the Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas school districts, employing a preventative RDH model that offers a comprehensive range of services.The RDH team captures all the IO photos and X-rays, which are then transmitted back to a dentist in a brick-and-mortar clinic asynchronously. This digital transfer facilitates efficient treatment planning and patient scheduling, ensuring that the necessary dental care is provided promptly.

  • Robyn Shafer, RDH

    Dental Hygiene Innovator

    Robyn Shafer, RDH

    Robyn Shafer, RDH, joined the Mainely Teeth team in October 2022, and has since served over 30 individual schools, working with students from kindergarten through 12th grade. With just three years in the field, Robyn has connected hundreds of students across Maine to care. Robyn Shafer’s rapid adoption of teledentistry has enabled Mainely Teeth to reach and triage patients who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to receive dental care. Using teledentistry, Mainely Teeth team members can easily access patient records, connect with patients remotely, share documentation with families, triage urgent cases, and refer patients to specialists, ensuring that everyone they see gets the care they need and deserve.

  • Middlesex College

    Dental Education Innovator

    Middlesex College

    Middlesex College’s faculty and students offer dental care for underserved populations at pre-schools and schools for special needs students in New Jersey. With on-site preventive treatment, synchronous and asynchronous communication with clinic dentists, and streamlined documentation, they are making a significant impact in improving oral healthcare access for this vulnerable community. Faculty and students are able to collaborate synchronously or asynchronously with an off-site consulting dentist using teledentistry, enabling the dentist to view charts from anywhere and seamlessly communicate with on-site students and faculty.

  • Dr. Nathan Suter

    Dental Innovator

    Dr. Nathan Suter

    Dr. Nathan Suter, Chief Innovation Officer and Dental Director at Enable Dental, accepted the 2023 Tellie in the Dental Innovator category for his commitment to expanding access to high-quality dental care and driving the seamless integration of technology into traditional dental practice, while showcasing its transformative benefits. Dr. Suter serves as an educator and advocate, helping practices integrate teledentistry into their services through seminars, webinars, and other educational formats, while also being involved in legislative efforts to shape and clarify regulations, making it easier for dental professionals to implement teledentistry.

  • American Dental Association Health Policy Institute – Marko Vujicic

    Dental Industry Innovator

    American Dental Association Health Policy Institute – Marko Vujicic

    With a strong commitment to improving access to quality oral healthcare, the American Dental Association Health Policy Institute, serves as a reliable source of data and evidence-based insights for dental professionals, policymakers, and the public. Marko Vujicic is a visionary leader dedicated to innovation in dentistry. As the driving force behind the American Dental Association Health Policy Institute (HPI), his leadership has fueled numerous advancements in the field of dentistry. Through meticulous research, data analysis, and evidence-based insights, Marko and the Health Policy Institute have become trusted sources of knowledge for dental professionals, policymakers, and the public alike.