Laboratory Coats
Medelita
Featuring gender-specific sizing and styling, Medelita dental coats are designed for mobility, style, and comfort.
Medelita has become known among clinicians as the company that offers exceptional dental coats lab coats for female and male dentists, dental surgeons, and dental hygienists.
Named after Dr. Elsie Gerlach, the fi rst superintendent of the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Dentistry Children’s Clinic, the Elsie G. dental lab coat is designed to accommodate the exact range of motion and ergonomics required of female clinicians, and features cuffed sleeves and snap closure for OSHA compliance.
For men, Medelita offers the Fauchard dental lab coat. Designed to resemble a men’s suit jacket with a traditional collar and blazer pocket, this lab coat is named after Pierre Fauchard, the “father of modern dentistry.” This coat is designed specifi cally to accommodate the exact range of motion and ergonomics required of male dental practitioners, and, like the Elsie G., features cuffed sleeves and snap closure for OSHA compliance.
According to Medelita, comfort was the paramount consideration in designing both lab coats. These coats boast cotton fabric that repels fluid, soil, and stains—including blood and impression material—while helping to maintain the bright white coat color that signifi es prestige and professionalism.
A combination of 16 dentists and hygienists participated in this Dental Product Shopper evaluation of the Medelita Elsie G. and Fauchard dental lab coats, rating such features as comfort, ease of cleaning, style, and overall satisfaction.
Fit, Comfort
Comments about the comfort of the Medelita coats included “this coat was very comfortable, and fi t well around the neck.” A dentist with 7 years in the dental fi eld said that the jacket “fit nicely and allows for a good range of motion.” A Troy, MI, evaluator with 15 years of experience said he liked the material quality and the fact that the coat was “very comfortable.” Eleven evaluators rated fi t as excellent, 1 rated it as very good, 2 rated it as good, 1 rated it as fair, and 1 as poor.
Regarding comfort, 8 evaluators rated comfort as excellent, 3 as very good, 2 as good, and 1 as fair. Two of the evaluators gave comfort a poor rating, with both noting the weight of the coat as an issue. “The coat is very hot,” one of the evaluators noted. However, many of the evaluators, located in the Southern states at the height of summer, agreed this coat would be ideal in cooler temperatures. Another evaluator noted they would like to see “options for different weights of fabric. The sample sent is perfect for cooler weather!” Medelita notes that the feel of the high-quality, 100% cotton fabric is different than the traditional poly/cotton coats that many clinicians use. Medelita chooses all cotton as a natural fi ber versus a man-made fi ber, which has limited breathability, especially under hot lights.
Ease of Cleaning
The evaluators were asked to rate ease of cleaning of the Medelita lab coats. Eight evaluators rated it as excellent, 5 rated it as very good, 1 rated it as good, and 1 as fair. One evaluator with 8 years in practice said she likes “that it is stain repellent. Especially in the dental fi eld where we are dealing with the oral cavity. I also like the ribbed cuffs for hygienic purposes.”
Style
The style of both the male and female coats was rated as excellent by 5 evaluators, as very good by 5, as good by 3, as fair by 1, and as poor by 2. A dentist with 25 years in practice noted the coats are “Beautiful and beautifully finished. The cuffs, collar, snaps, style are all well-designed.” Another evaluator said “the unique styling looks very distinctive and professional. When you wear your jackets, it is a confi dence booster.”
Overall Satisfaction
Nine evaluators gave these lab coats an overall satisfaction rating of excellent, 3 rated them as very good, and 2 evaluators rated them as fair.
An evaluator with 25 years in the dental field summed up saying, “I’ve gotten many compliments when I wear it. The workmanship is outstanding; even the inside seams are finished.”
