As Theranos Fraudster Heads to Prison a Dentist Points to a Hoax that Dodged the FDA

RED DEER, Alberta & LAS VEGAS - May 31, 2023 - PRLog -- According to a retired Canadian dentist his profession may have a hoax that competes with Elizabeth Holmes and her Theranos device - with thousands more victims. While researching details for his next whistle-blowing book Michael Y Zuk DDS uncovered a reference to a previous FDA battle with the Myo-tronics company, maker of a TENS device allegedly being misused to diagnose patients with TMJ problems. The article states the authorities initiated an inspection of the company in 8/91 when "two FDA inspectors appeared at the company's door." The FDA initially took aggressive action but the dental manufacturer cried foul and managed to push back on the authority on grounds of bias. A few years later the 'myo-monitor' TENS device became a cornerstone of a Las Vegas-based dental seminar program for many of its treatment protocols. Recently the Las Vegas Institute aka 'LVI'  was cited in another dental device FDA investigation related to alleged patient harm from use of a purported 'jaw growing' appliance referred to as the AGGA.

The myo-monitor was FDA-approved as a muscle-relaxing device similar to the devices promoted on television infomercials with Dr. Ho. Within the LVI seminars and likely within many dental seminars based on 'neuromuscular' theory it appears the use of the device may have crossed FDA-approved use guidelines. In many cases a 'neuromuscular dentist' appears to use the TENS device to recommend a certain bite level that usually requires all the patient's teeth to be crowned in porcelain or treated with a questionable orthodontic approach that often seemed to include the AGGA device featured in a recent CBS investigation that sparked concern from the FDA.

By spinning a diagnostic and treatment protocol out of the use of the Myo-tronics devices some of these seminars managed to gain credibility with the American Dental Association and Academy of General Dentistry and become qualified for educational credits. The cascade of becoming part of the American Dental Association's Certified Education Recognition Program (ADA CERP) rippled down to the public. The termination of the FDA investigation almost 30 years ago may have allowed thousands of patients across the world to be subjected to unnecessary costly, irreversible and risky dental procedures which are often seen in malpractice cases.

The recent commentary on the ADA's website hints at a concern of co-liability with the statement:

"ADA CERP is a service of the American Dental Association to assist dental professionals in identifying quality providers of continuing dental education. ADA CERP does not approve or endorse individual courses or instructors, nor does it imply acceptance of credit hours by boards of dentistry."

In reality, according to Zuk, the regional dental boards tend to look at ADA CERP as a sign the seminar content qualifies for a dentist's educational credits following graduation from dental school. He also states he knows of a recent case where a dental board ruled although there were complications from an LVI-trained dentist, because he was following the recipe book at the seminars and the seminars were approved for credit the dentist's treatment 'met the standard of care'. The same authority allegedly was using an LVI-trained dentist as their expert to review the complaint, something that was a concern to at least one of the dentists on an appeal panel which dismissed the complaint. Zuk adds as further evidence the dental boards are in the dark some have allowed LVI seminars to qualify for re-training credit as part of an LVI-trained dentist's rehabilitation. Zuk cites music star Leann Rimes as a likely victim of an LVI dentist who may have been a seminar instructor, and a recent death in a Beverly Hills LVI-trained dental office advertising celebrity clients as evidence the program actively sought out high profile patients to gain esteem.

If this is indeed a dental fraud or hoax related to misuse of another dental device it has not completely been ignored by a list of key players which the retired dentist says includes the ADA, the Nevada Dental board, the Alberta Dental College (now the College of Dental Surgeons of Alberta) and Alberta dental school. Zuk says there is amble evidence the dental boards have been quietly dealing with complaints about dentists following dental seminar protocols. The ADA also recently rejected the author's suggestion to investigate the LVI seminar content to see if it should be dropped from the approved list. He says many victims are silenced and afraid to speak out due to agreements made during settlements. The retired dentist says he has been the target of a malicious disciplinary process which has spanned over 12 years and now knows why the Alberta authority insisted on ceasing publication of his first book.

"In order to attempt to exonerate my disciplinary record I have found proof that suggests the local authority wanted to keep the rampant over-treatment inspired by corrupt dental seminars a secret from the public to preserve the integrity of the profession. My local provincial authority was in a business relationship with the Las Vegas Institute seminar's primary promoter. My former dental professor was recruited by LVI to teach the use of the myo-monitor. The Alberta dental complaint system has a list of complaints related to dentists trained by these seminars and many of the seminar lecturers have a disciplinary record. If I don't keep blowing the whistle to help wake the FDA to open the old files this crime against the public may never end."

The author expects to publish his next book tentatively titled 'Dentistry's Biggest Hoax' with the participation of various patients who suffered serious harm from dentists using the devices mentioned. Zuk recommends if anyone has been treated with full mouth crowns with the use of a TENS device as justification or the AGGA they should contact their dental board and a dental malpractice lawyer. A list of lawyers involved in dental malpractice may be found at his website http://www.confessionsofaformercosmeticdentist.com where he has a free book which may help understand the topic.