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Alabama Dental Board Sues FTC Over SmileDirectClub Probe

By  |  September 6, 2020

Alabama’s dental board sued the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), seeking to halt the agency’s investigation into whether it is violating antitrust laws by enforcing teledentistry restrictions against web-based teeth-straightening business SmileDirectClub, reported Bloomberg Law. 

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    “Alabama is free to regulate the health, safety, and welfare of its citizens, including by establishing requirements for the practice of dentistry within this state, without unlawful interference from the federal government or its regulatory agencies, including the FTC, under the guise of Sherman Antitrust Act scrutiny,” the complaint states.

    The lawsuit, filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Alabama, stems from an investigation on SmileDirectClub, which supplies 3-D printed teeth aligners without the need to visit a doctor’s office, sued Alabama’s Dental Board and its members in 2018.

    The company alleges that the board, in the name of public health and safety, improperly stymied its ability to compete in order to protect traditional dentists and orthodontists’ business interest.

    Full Content: Bloomberg

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