Industry News

Categories: Orthodontics;
Industry News

AAO Names 2026 Ortho Innovator Award Winners
The American Association of Orthodontists has named the winners of its 2026 Ortho Innovator Awards, recognizing technologies at different stages of development and market adoption. Zeeno Robotics received the Emerging Innovation Award for Zeeno Sterile, an automated instrument sterilization system. Celebrace earned the Market Impact Innovation Award for its AI-driven bracket prescription platform.

The AAO Committee on Technology reviewed 35 entries. Winners and finalists will be featured in an exhibit at the Innovation Pavilion during the 2026 AAO Annual Session in Orlando May 1–3. Awards will be presented May 2.

For more information, visit www2.aaoinfo.org.


Dr. Jonjei Ku Named 2026 JCO Student of the Year
Dr. Jonjei Ku of the University of Nebraska Medical Center has been named the 2026 Eugene L. Gottlieb JCO Student of the Year Award recipient, presented by American Orthodontics. Ku was selected from 22 nominees representing orthodontic programs across the United States and Canada in a two-stage competition judged for clinical excellence by members of the Journal of Clinical Orthodontics editorial board. His prize includes products and services valued at more than $8,000 from American Orthodontics, JCO, and Dolphin. The award recognizes achievement in clinical orthodontics and supports the profession’s future leaders.

For more information, visit americanortho.com.


OrthoPulse and Premier Orthodontic Practices Announce Partnership
OrthoPulse has entered a strategic partnership with Premier Orthodontic Practices (POP), a network of private orthodontic offices across the United States, to expand access to its FDA-cleared near-infrared photobiomodulation technology. The agreement makes OrthoPulse therapy available to patients in POP-affiliated practices as an adjunct to orthodontic treatment with aligners or fixed appliances. The company states the technology is intended to support treatment efficiency, predictability of tooth movement, and patient comfort. POP leadership said the partnership aligns with its focus on providing member practices with evidence-based clinical technologies.

For more information, visit orthopulse.com or pop-ortho.com.


Dentsply Sirona and Dreve
Dentsply Sirona and Dreve are advancing the clinical evaluation of Primeprint Direct Aligner resin and plan to begin collecting in vivo evidence to assess its potential role within Primeprint and SureSmile digital orthodontic workflows. Primeprint Direct Aligner resin, developed by Dreve and cleared by the FDA for use with the Primeprint 3D printing system, is not yet commercially available. Preclinical evaluations conducted with the University of Ulm have indicated promising material characteristics, including recovery properties compared with existing thermoforming materials. The companies are moving forward with additional in vitro and in vivo study designs to further validate early findings and guide future development.

For more information, visit dentsplysirona.com.



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