SKANEATELES FALLS, New York--Welch Allyn, a leading global manufacturer of frontline medical products and solutions, has announced that it has received a 2006 Medical Design Excellence Award for the Welch Allyn DenLite.
The DenLite, the company's cordless illuminated dental mirror, was released in April 2005. The product was awarded the honor for visionary design and its contribution to the advancement of patient care.
"It's a great honor for us to be recognized with a Medical Design Excellence Award," said Steve Meyer, Welch Allyn executive vice president. "It's a tribute to the talented DenLite team and their collaboration to develop a device that's makes a real difference in the marketplace."
The DenLite is designed to give dentists a shadow- and glare-free view of the mouth during routine dental exams. It provides dentists with bright, white light, which eliminates the need for constant adjustment of cumbersome overhead lights during everyday procedures.
It is also one of the only cordless, illuminated dental instruments that can be used by dentists as both mirror and a retractor during an examination.
"The DenLite comes with a number of different and complementary features that make it a great multifunction tool for dentists everywhere," said Ellen Woonton, Welch Allyn senior product manager. "Beyond the obvious benefit of the bright white light and ability to work as both a mirror and retractor, the DenLite is rugged enough for cheek retraction and tongue depression while retaining a lightweight, compact, and portable design."
The DenLite is the latest in a growing list of award-winning Welch Allyn products. Since 2000, Welch Allyn products have won four Medical Design Excellence Awards, four R&D 100 Awards, and the Frost & Sullivan Product Differentiation Award.
"These awards and honors further affirm our position as a leading innovator in the marketplace and, more importantly, our commitment and success at developing products that increase caregiver efficiencies and help them provide their patients with more effective patient care," Meyer said.
The Medical Design Excellence Awards competition is organized and presented by Canon Communications LLC (Los Angeles), and is the only awards program that exclusively recognizes contributions and advances in the design of medical products.
Entries are evaluated on the basis of their design and engineering features, including innovative use of materials, user-related functions that improve healthcare delivery and change traditional medical attitudes or practices, features that provide enhanced benefits to the patient, and the ability of the product development team to overcome design and engineering challenges so the product meets its clinical objectives.
A comprehensive review of the entries was performed by an impartial, multidisciplinary panel of third-party jurors with expertise in biomedical engineering, human factors, industrial design, medicine, and diagnostics.
The 2006 Medical Design Excellence Award winners will be honored at a June 7 ceremony during the Medical Design & Manufacturing East Conference and Exposition in New York City's Javits Convention Center.
