The company says the expansion of SmileDirectClub’s clinical advisory board is one of several initiatives to further establish it as a teledentistry market leader in the industry.

SmileDirectClub announced the appointment of seven experts in dentistry and orthodontics to its clinical advisory board. Former U.S. Senator Bill Frist (R-Tenn), who has a medical background with over 35 years in virtual care and sits on the board of TelaDoc, will also join SmileDirectClub’s clinical board as honorary chair.

Members of SmileDirectClub’s clinical advisory board will reportedly work with the company to help guide the standards for teledentistry from recommended clinical protocols to overall orthodontic quality of care. The board will also provide strategic direction for additional clinical research studies on the efficacy and safety of teledentistry as a teeth straightening method.

“Affordable and quality access to care has always been our mission as a company, and these additions to our clinical advisory board allow us access to these experts’ thought leadership to further that cause. We are incredibly proud that these renowned doctors have agreed to serve on our board to guide our oral care strategy, and to serve as champions for quality treatment through teledentistry,” says David Katzman, chief executive officer, SmileDirectClub. “As we continue to scale and expand access to oral care, the collective insight of these dental professionals, whose participation further validates the credibility of our offerings, will be invaluable. We look forward to working with our clinical advisory board members and what we will accomplish together.”

Newly appointed members of the clinical advisory board are as follows:

Hisham Badawi, DDS, MSc, PhD, chair, was an assistant professor at the University of Manitoba before completing his PhD at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. He is currently an orthodontist in private practice in Calgary, Alberta.

Richard D. Fewell, DDS, MS, owns a rural dental practice in Tullahoma, Tenn, which has been in operation since 1977 with five satellite offices in surrounding small towns. He also provides free dentistry through a local program called Tullahoma Cares.

Charles D. Fuszner, DMD, has maintained a hospital-based, comprehensive care dental practice since 1981. He is currently an associate professor at Missouri School of Dentistry and is the primary author of the book Parameters of Care for the Medical Treatment of Dental Patients, which is currently used at five dental schools across the country.

Gary Kaye, DDS, is the founder of Kaye Dentistry PLLC, a reconstructive, cosmetic, and implant dental practice located in New York City. He is the founder and director of the New York Center for Digital Dentistry. Kaye lectures on ceramics, occlusion, and digital dentistry, and performs live patient demonstrations for dentist audiences. He is a graduate of Dawson Center for Advanced Dental Training, and in 2006, he received the fellowship award from the Academy of General Dentistry.

Liliya MacKenzie, DMD, owns an orthodontic practice with three locations in southern New Brunswick, Canada. MacKenzie is a member of the Cleft Lip and Palate Team at the Saint John Regional Hospital. She is also a content expert in orthodontics at the National Dental Examining Board of Canada. She is the author of over 20 scientific papers.

Nathan McKeta, DMD, has operated a practice in Mt Pleasant, SC, since 2010. He is currently a member of the American Dental Association, the American Association of Orthodontists, and the Southern Association of Orthodontists. As a proponent of technology, McKeta worked closely with Carestream Dental on development and testing of its OrthoTrac Cloud platform. He is also a published author in the Journal of Esthetic and Restorative Dentistry.

Peter S. Vig, DDS, PhD, JD, has served as head of orthodontics at The London Hospital, professor of orthodontics at the University of North Carolina, and previously served as chairman of orthodontics at the University of Michigan. At the University of Pittsburgh, he served as associate dean for research, and later at Ohio State University he established and chaired the health services research section.

Former U.S. Senator William Frist, MD, honorary chair, currently serves as chairman of the COVID-19 Response Fund of Greater Nashville. Senator Frist is a heart and lung transplant surgeon, former U.S. Senate majority leader, and chairman of the executive board of the health service private equity firm Cressey & Co. As the founder and director of the Vanderbilt Multi-Organ Transplant Center, he performed over 150 heart and lung transplants, authored over 100 peer-reviewed medical articles, and published seven books on topics such as bioterrorism, transplantation and leadership. He is board certified in both general and heart surgery.