Announcing the 2024 Cuspies semifinalists

We read your nominations for the 2024 Cuspies and pared down the many that we received to craft this year’s list of semifinalists in each of the 12 categories. Now it’s your turn to vote and see which people and products move on to become finalists and the eventual winners.

Below, you will see the 10 finalists for the dental and hygiene educators of the year as well as the five finalists in the remaining categories. Your vote determines who and what moves on to become a finalist.

You can vote for your favorites here. Voting is now open and runs through Friday, December 22, ending at 11:59 p.m. (Eastern time) We will announce the finalists after the new year, with awards to be given to the winners in late February.

Take a look at the finalists below and see which ones will earn your vote.

Dental Educator of the Year

• Dr. Jennifer Bell
• Dr. Steffany Chamut
• Dr. Rick Ferguson
• Dr. Timothy Hess
• Dr. Jeffrey Horowitz
• Dr. John Kois
• Dr. Uche Odiatu
• Dr. Diana Tadros
• Estela Vargas, CRDH
• Tom Viola, RPh 

Hygiene Educator of the Year

• Cathy Cabanzon, RDH
• Amanda Hill, RDH
• Irene Iancu, RDH
• Marion Manski, MS, RDH
• Belangie Perez-Torres, RDH
• Becky Smith, CRDH, EdD
• Michelle Strange, MSDH, RDH
• Kelly Tanner, PhD, RDH
• Jennifer Turner, RDH
• Rachel Wall, RDH 

Best Dentistry Training Program

• The University of Connecticut
• The University of Florida
• The University of Michigan
• The University of Southern California
• The University of Washington 

Best Hygiene Training Program

• Dental Hygiene at Dallas College
• Eastern Washington University
• The Miami-Dade College of Dental Hygiene
• The University of Missouri-Kansas City
• The University of Texas School of Dentistry at Houston 

Dentist Influencer of the Year

• Dr. Brian Baliwas (@sfdentalnerd)
• Dentists in the Know (@dentistsintheknow)
• Dr. Eva Boldridge (@houstonprosth)
• Dr. Scott Froum (@activeperio)
• Dr. Avi Patel (@doctor.avi) 

Hygienist Influencer of the Year

• Lynn Atkinson, RDH (@laserfocusedhygiene)
• Amber Auger, MPH, RDH (@amberaugerrdh)
• Iman, RDH (@iman_rdh)
• Minal Sampat, RDH (@minalsampatllc)
• Jerry Vahan Ounjian, RDH (@jerry_rdh) 

Best New Imaging Product

• Denti.AI
• Diagnocat AI
• Kavo Proxam
• PlanetDDS Apteryx XVWeb
• Planmeca Viso product family

Best New Hygiene Product

• Upscale Assessment
• Listerine mouthwash concentrate
• Proclaim Custom-Jet Oral Irrigator from Fresh Health
• Scope Squeez
• Waterpik Sensonic electric toothbrush 

Best New Restorative Product

• Ackuretta Curie Plus UV curing unit
• Pac-Dent Rodin all-purpose glaze
• SDI Stela self-cure composite
• Tokuyama Omnichroma Flow Bulk
• Ultradent Transcend universal composite 

Best New Consumer Product

• Barbie x Moon electric toothbrush
• Listerine mouthwash concentrate
• Proclaim Custom-Jet Oral Irrigator from Fresh Health
• Scope Squeez
• Waterpik Sensonic electric toothbrush

Most Significant News in Dentistry

• Stop shielding patients during dental imaging
• Mass. votes for dental insurance reform
• MCNA Dental hit with cyberattack, affecting 9M patients
• SmileDirectClub settles NDA lawsuit
• Dentists say it’s still challenging to hire dental assistants and hygienists 

Scientific Paper of the Year

• “Survey investigation of articaine use in the United States,” Journal of the American Dental Association
• “Effect of Silver Diamine Fluoride on Caries Arrest and Prevention: The CariedAway School-Based Randomized Clinical Trial,” JAMA Network Open
• “Seizure caused by intraparenchymal hemorrhage from migration of mandibular dental wire through foramen ovale in a child: A case report,” Radiology Case Reports
• “Patient shielding during dentomaxillofacial radiography, Journal of the American Dental Association
• “Efficacy of probiotics in the management of halitosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis,” BDJ Open 

Again, you can vote for any of the finalists above by clicking here. Best of luck to this year's semifinalists!