The Florida Board of Dentistry decided Jan. 10 to close its investigation into SmileDirectClub, according to a Feb. 18 news release.
The dental board was pursuing an investigation into SmileDirectClub's business model. The company markets itself as a dental service organization that provides marketing and administrative support services and a teledentistry platform to its network of dentists and orthodontists.
Florida is the 18th state to end investigations into SmileDirectClub. The dental group began investigating after receiving complaints from the American Association of Orthodontists. Earlier this year it was announced that nearly all of the lawsuits filed by consumers and investors against SmileDirectClub have been dropped.
"We are pleased that the Florida Board of Dentistry has rejected and closed the American Association of Orthodontists' complaint against SmileDirectClub, verifying that SmileDirectClub is operating in full compliance with Florida law and is not engaged in the corporate practice of dentistry through its operation of SmileShops or marketing activities," said SmileDirectClub Chief Legal Officer Susan Greenspon Rammelt.
"Our company seeks to cooperate with and provide information to state dental boards to educate their members as to how our teledentistry platform works and demonstrate that it is the state-licensed dentists who are responsible for all aspects of clinical care. It is great to have the support of dental boards like the state of Florida dental board, who welcome the access to care that today's technology and our platform creates."