SmileDirectClub, a US-based company that sells mail-order teeth-straightening devices, has filed a lawsuit against the Manitoba Dental Association and its board of directors alleging that they have made "false or misleading statements" about the company. The case cites two emails sent by the Manitoba Dental Association to its members noting the requirement for in-person exams and the requirement that a dentist be on site when taking impressions of teeth for retainers. The email noted the risk of patient harm if these requirements are not followed. SmileDirectClub's case claims that there is no regulation making in-person exams a requirement, thus the association's statements are intimidating dentists into not doing business with the company. SmileDirectClub has been the subject of federal court cases in the US, in Georgia and Alabama, as well as complaints from the American Association of Orthodontists.
September 06, 2019
