Jun 27 2013
BIOLASE, Inc., the world's leading manufacturer and distributor of dental lasers, announced today that its EPIC 10® diode soft-tissue laser platform won the gold medal for Dental Instruments, Equipment, and Supplies at the 15th Annual Medical Design Excellence Awards ("MDEA"), the MedTech Industry's premier design competition. The award was presented to BIOLASE® at the 2013 MDEA ceremony on Wednesday, June 19, in Philadelphia.
Sponsored by the Medical Device and Diagnostic Industry ("MD+DI") and organized by UBM Canon, the MDEA Program recognizes the achievements of medical device manufacturers, their suppliers, and the many people behind the scenes -- engineers, scientists, designers, and clinicians -- who are responsible for the groundbreaking innovations that are changing the face of healthcare today. Each year a comprehensive evaluation of the entries is performed by an impartial, multidisciplinary panel of third-party jurors with expertise in biomedical engineering, clinical practice, diagnostics, human factors, industrial design, manufacturing, and medicine.
Federico Pignatelli, Chairman and CEO, said, "We are honored to receive this recognition for our EPIC 10 diode laser system from the best and brightest medical device designers in the world. This award is the direct result of the dedication and passion of our experienced engineers, designers and product managers and the desire they have to deliver groundbreaking surgical tools that provide better treatment solutions for dentists and their patients. The EPIC 10 platform is FDA-cleared in dentistry and 19 medical markets and represents the next generation of our diode laser technology."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") cleared the dental EPIC 10 for a wide variety of dental applications on September 28, 2012. The EPIC 10S™, the medical version of the diode laser platform, was cleared by the FDA on April 5, 2013, for use as a surgical instrument for over 80 different indications in 19 additional medical markets including: ear, nose and throat, oral surgery, arthroscopy, gastroenterology, orthopedics, general surgery, dermatology, plastic surgery, podiatry, GI/GU, gynecology, neurosurgery, ophthalmology, pulmonary surgery, cardiac surgery, thoracic surgery, urology, dermatology, aesthetics, and vascular surgery. The veterinary version of the EPIC diode laser platform, the V-Series™, was launched in February 2013.
"Winning this latest MDEA honor, the fourth resulting from our collaboration with Morphix Design, is an affirmation of our commitment to both the doctor and patient experience," said Dmitri Boutoussov, Chief Technology Officer. "The MDEA sets the highest standard for improving the delivery of medical products and services and we are very pleased that the jurors recognized the design of our EPIC platform for its versatility and for the marriage of our advanced laser technology with ease of use for improved patient outcomes."
BIOLASE's diode lasers are currently used in dentistry for a wide variety of surgical soft-tissue procedures as an alternative to invasive and traumatic conventional devices, such as the high-speed drill, scalpel, or electrosurge. The 940nm laser wavelength of the EPIC 10 platform is better absorbed by hemoglobin (Hb) and oxyhemoglobin (HbO2) than other diode laser wavelengths, so it cuts efficiently at low power and with considerably less heat and discomfort, making it an excellent alternative to conventional surgical devices. BIOLASE's EPIC 10 940nm wavelength diode laser uses disposable tips which help reduce the risk of infection and cross contamination and is also FDA cleared for tooth whitening and temporary pain relief.