The 2021 AAO Ortho Innovator Award will go to Grin. Developed by AAO member Dr. Adam Schulhof, Grin technology enables remote monitoring of orthodontic patients’ progress between in-person visits.

Grin Remote Monitoring & Consultation are made possible by the Grin App and the Grin Scope, a patent pending, FDA-listed medical device. The scope is an intraoral adapter that retracts the cheeks, allowing a full view into any patient’s mouth remotely. The scope works in concert with the Grin App to create high-quality, orthodontist-ready, self-scanned patient videos.

Grin was named as the 2021 Ortho Innovator Award recipient by the AAO Committee on Technology (C-TECH). The committee reviewed 40 entries to this year’s Ortho Innovator competition. C-TECH evaluates entries by their uniqueness, originality, functionality or feasibility, and value for the orthodontic practice.

Dr. Schulhof is in private orthodontic practice in Oradell, New Jersey and is an expert in lingual orthodontics.

“Our entire team is very excited to receive the AAO Ortho Innovator Award,” says Dr. Schulhof. “My original goal was always to create a company by orthodontists, for orthodontists, that addresses convenience and remote monitoring needs successfully while keeping patient health a top priority.

“I also wanted to convey a strong message to consumers about the importance of utilizing an orthodontist for orthodontic treatment,” adds Dr. Schulhof. “With the Grin Remote Monitoring Platform, orthodontists can see into a patient’s mouth much as they could during an in-person appointment. That was especially helpful for our users during the COVID-19 shutdown last year. However, patients and practices sought more convenience before COVID-19 and will undoubtedly continue this convenient and cost-effective virtual direction, into the future. ”

The AAO Ortho Innovator program, now in its third year, is part of an ongoing effort to strategically support innovation among orthodontists and partners in the industry.  Companies offering new products or services for orthodontic treatment or orthodontic practice management are eligible to enter the competition.