From: Concerned Patients, Advocates, and Dental Professionals

Introduction

We, the undersigned patients, advocates, and dental professionals, call on the American Dental Association (ADA) and its Commission for Continuing Education Provider Recognition (CCEPR) to take immediate action to revoke recognition of Las Vegas Institute of Advanced Dental Studies (LVI) Dentistry from any ADA CERP-accredited continuing education (CE) programs.

By accrediting or legitimizing courses affiliated with LVI’s pseudoscientific approach to neuromuscular dentistry, ADA CERP has enabled the widespread promotion of harmful and unproven practices. These practices have led to catastrophic, often irreversible harm—causing severe TMJ disorders, bite collapse, chronic pain, and forcing patients into extensive, costly reconstructive surgeries.

The ADA and its CE recognition body have a duty to ensure that only scientifically sound, evidence-based education is endorsed under its name. Continued recognition of LVI-affiliated content undermines patient safety and the ethical standards of the dental profession.

Harmful Practices Promoted by LVI Dentistry

 

 

 

 

LVI promotes a wide range of aggressive and non–evidence-based interventions under the guise of “neuromuscular” or “physiologic” dentistry. These include:

• The use of glued-in fixed orthotics that forcibly reposition the jaw without proper oversight, leading to TMJ dysfunction, muscle fatigue, and joint degeneration

• Grinding down healthy teeth for full-mouth reconstructions based on speculative bite measurements, resulting in irreversible enamel loss, bite collapse, and nerve exposure

• Improper use of transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) to “relax” muscles before creating new bites, despite lack of long-term safety validation for such use

• Promotion of AGGA (Anterior Growth Guidance Appliance) and similar devices, which apply unregulated pressure to the upper palate and facial bones, and have caused bone loss, loose teeth, and disfigurement—now under criminal investigation

• Marketing of “physiologic” or “neuromuscular” orthodontics that expand dental arches and jaws in adults without surgical planning, leading to skeletal instability, open bites, and breathing issues

• Overtreatment of TMJ issues with full-mouth rehabs and permanent appliances when conservative care should be the first line of treatment

• Reinforcement of pseudoscientific ideas that lack peer-reviewed research or FDA evaluation, such as claims that jaw repositioning can cure systemic conditions like sleep apnea, migraines, or chronic fatigue

• Failure to obtain informed consent, with patients often unaware that the procedures are experimental, unregulated, or not recognized by major dental associations

These dangerous practices have been the subject of multiple investigations, including a 2023 exposé by CBS News and KFF Health News, which uncovered a pattern of patient harm, misrepresentation, and lack of regulation surrounding AGGA devices and the LVI-trained practitioners who used them. The investigation documented how these unapproved devices caused disfigurement, loss of bone, severe pain, and lasting trauma, and how vulnerable patients were misled under the guise of cutting-edge treatment.

CBS News Report:

This dental device was sold to fix patients' jaws. Lawsuits claim it wrecked their teeth.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/agga-dental-device-lawsuits-teeth-damage/

KFF Health News AGGA Investigation:

https://kffhealthnews.org/dental-device-investigation/

Failure of Oversight by the ADA

Despite credible reports from the media, victims, and concerned professionals, the ADA CERP has continued to accredit CE courses based on LVI’s high-risk and unsupported techniques. This inaction has allowed harmful practices to flourish under ADA CERP’s educational umbrella, giving legitimacy to treatments that would otherwise be discredited.

We call for an immediate and independent investigation into how the ADA CERP ignored warnings and evidence, and allowed these non–standard-of-care practices to persist within its continuing education ecosystem.

The ADA’s Broader Responsibilities

As the leading dental authority in the United States, the ADA is responsible for:

• Advocating for public oral health and patient safety

• Overseeing dental education and continuing education standards

• Administering the ADA Seal of Acceptance, a trusted symbol of safety and efficacy

• Maintaining the ADA Masterfile, a registry of all U.S. dentists

• Upholding its Code of Ethics, including the principle of veracity, which obliges dentists to avoid misleading or unnecessary treatments

Allowing LVI’s methods to remain ADA-CERP endorsed through continuing education directly undermines these responsibilities.

Our Demands

We respectfully urge the ADA CERP to:

1. Immediately revoke accreditation for any CE courses associated with LVI Dentistry or neuromuscular techniques lacking scientific validation

2. Launch an independent review of patient complaints and disciplinary cases involving LVI-trained dentists

3. Issue a public safety alert about the risks associated with LVI-based treatments

4. Tighten oversight of CE programs to ensure that only evidence-based, peer-reviewed techniques are ADA-CERP approved

To the ADA Leadership

We call on you to act now, in the interest of patient safety and professional ethics. If the ADA CERP fails to take meaningful action, we will pursue broader advocacy and legal channels.

Organizations such as the American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) have the capacity to draft and advance patient-protection legislation—even when opposed by powerful industry groups, including the ADA. If the ADA fails to fulfill its duty to the public, others will step in.

Sign the Petition

By signing this petition, you are standing up for ethical dental education, scientific integrity, and most importantly, patient safety. No individual should suffer irreversible harm as a result of experimental treatments promoted under the ADA’s educational umbrella.

We urge the ADA to end the influence of LVI Dentistry in continuing education and reaffirm its duty to protect both patients and the integrity of the profession.