Governor's office silent on how board pick was vetted

The accusations in the media and in lawsuits were shocking: Needlessly drilling into baby teeth. Filling children’s mouths with stainless-steel crowns they didn’t need. Strapping patients down on boards, so their writhing wouldn’t interfere with the pace of work — all so the company could soak up as many Medicaid dollars as possible.

“My baby was in pain. And she was 5,” one mother of a former patient told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, describing a tooth extraction that she stopped mid-procedure. “Her ankles are strapped. Her arms are strapped. And she’s trying to move out of these restraints, and she’s just crying.”

But as allegations were swirling around the Marietta-based Kool Smiles chain of dental clinics, something peculiar happened at the highest level of Georgia state government.

One of the company’s top officers got appointed to a state regulatory board with the power to discipline fellow practitioners and set policies for their profession. Out of the thousands of dentists working in Georgia, Gov. Nathan Deal appointed Dale G. Mayfield, a corporate executive for Kool Smiles, to the state Board of Dentistry.

Read more: https://politics.myajc.com/news/state--regional-govt--politics/governor-office-silent-how-board-pick-was-vetted/1w6CzB5qpK7eRpbcFjkwZL/