Vivos Therapeutics (VVOS) 10-K2022 FY Annual report

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

Commission File Number: 001-39796

Vivos Therapeutics, Inc.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in its Charter)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. YES ☐ NO ☒

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. YES ☒ NO ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). YES ☒ NO ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer”, “accelerated filer”, “smaller reporting company”, or “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☐

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act). YES ☐ NO X

As of June 30, 2022, the last business day of the second fiscal quarter, the aggregate market value of the registrant’s voting stock held by non-affiliates, was approximately $23.2 million based on the last reported sales price of $1.29 as quoted on the Nasdaq Capital Market on such date.

The registrant had 29,678,786 shares of its common stock, $0.0001 par value per share, outstanding as of March 28, 2022.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains “forward-looking statements” (as defined in Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended) that reflect our current expectations and views of future events. The forward-looking statements are contained principally in the sections entitled “Risk Factors” and “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.” Readers are cautioned that known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, including those over which we may have no control and others listed in the “Risk Factors” section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, may cause our actual results, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.

You can identify some of these forward-looking statements by words or phrases such as “may,” “hope,” “will,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “aim,” “estimate,” “intend,” “plan,” “believe,” “is/are likely to,” “potential,” “continue” or the negative of these terms or other comparable terminology. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events that we believe may affect our financial condition, results of operations, business strategy and financial needs. These forward-looking statements include statements relating to:

These forward-looking statements involve numerous risks and uncertainties. Although we believe that our expectations expressed in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, our expectations may later be found to be incorrect. Our actual results of operations or the results of other matters that we anticipate herein could be materially different from our expectations. Important risks and factors that could cause our actual results to be materially different from our expectations are generally set forth in “Risk Factors,” “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations,” “Business” and other sections in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. You should thoroughly read this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the documents that we refer to with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from and worse than what we expect. We qualify all of our forward-looking statements by these cautionary statements.

The forward-looking statements made in this Annual Report on Form 10-K relate only to events or information as of the date on which the statements are made in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. Except as required by law, we undertake no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, after the date on which the statements are made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events. You should read this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the documents that we refer to in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and have filed as exhibits to this Annual Report on Form 10-K, completely and with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect.

SUMMARY OF MATERIAL RISKS ASSOCIATED WITH OUR BUSINESS

The following is a summary of certain risks, uncertainties and other factors related to our company. These do not represent all of the risks we face. You should carefully consider all of the risk factors presented in “Item 1A. Risk Factors” (some of which are not summarized below) and all other information contained in this Report, including the financial statements which are a part of this Report, in order to a more complete picture of the risk factors we face.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

Risks Related to Our Products and Regulation

Risks Related to Our Securities Generally

PART I

Item 1. Business.

Overview

We are a revenue stage medical technology company focused on the development and commercialization of a suite of innovative diagnostic and multi-disciplinary treatment modalities for patients with cranial and/or dentofacial abnormalities and the wide array of medical conditions that may result from them, including mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea (known as OSA) and snoring in adults. We believe our proprietary diagnostic tools, oral appliances, myofunctional therapy, clinical treatments, continuing education, and practice solutions represent a powerful and highly effective set of resources for healthcare providers of all disciplines who treat patients suffering from debilitating and even life-threatening breathing related sleep disorders and their comorbidities.

Our primary focus has been on expanding awareness of, and providing treatment options for OSA for, the dentistry market, which we believe represents a large and relatively untapped market for OSA treatment. As our business has evolved, we have expanded our treatment and marketing programs to encompass a more multidisciplinary approach as we have learned even more about how OSA and its comorbidities are diagnosed and treated. In this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we sometimes refer to dentists and other medical professionals who treat OSA as “providers” (including our own Vivos-trained dentists).

Studies have shown our comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach represents a significant improvement in the treatment of mild to moderate OSA in comparison to or when combined with other largely palliative treatments such as continuous positive airway pressure (or CPAP). We call our solution The Vivos Method.

Our Products and Services

Currently, The Vivos Method comprises the following products and services:

These products are used in a collaborative multidisciplinary treatment model comprised of dentists, general practice physicians, sleep specialist physicians, myofunctional therapists, nutritionists, chiropractors, physical therapists, and healthcare professionals. Our subscription-based program to train dentists and offer them other value-added services is called the Vivos Integrated Practice (VIP) program.

During 2022, we continued to expand and grow our screening and home sleep test (“HST”) program (which we call our VivoScore Program) featuring SleepImage^® technology, a 510(k) cleared ring-based recorder and diagnostic platform for home sleep apnea testing. We market and distribute our SleepImage^® HST in the U.S. and Canada pursuant to a licensing agreement with MyCardio LLC. During 2022, Vivos providers performed nearly 60,000 VivoScore home sleep tests, up 99% over 2021. Due to the volume of business that we have generated with MyCardio LLC, we now receive pricing and terms for SleepImage^® products and services that are well below their published retail prices. We believe the rapid growth of our VivoScore program confirms our belief that the SleepImage^® HST offers significant commercial advantages and ease of use over existing home sleep apnea products and technologies in the market and allows healthcare providers to screen, diagnose and initiate treatment for OSA in their patients more efficiently.

We have not yet seen a corresponding increase in patient enrollment in The Vivos Method treatment, however, and based on feedback from our Vivos-trained providers, we believe this to be a function of staffing turnover and labor shortages that continue to adversely impact the dental workplace. Throughout 2022, we continued to address this by conducting additional regional dental team training sessions on integrating Vivos products and treatments. In addition, we drastically reduced the number of Practice Advisors who had previously been dispatched as “boots on the ground” to help facilitate case starts and provide Vivos-trained providers with support, and we replaced them with a new service called Treatment Navigator which we piloted and rolled out in the late summer and fall of 2022.

Treatment Navigators work effectively as extensions of the dental office, working directly with perspective patients to provide them information on The Vivos Method, aiding in education, screening, insurance verification of benefits and preauthorization, coordination among various professional practitioners, recordkeeping, problem solving, as well as, delivering a home sleep test and following up with scheduling an appointment with a VIP in their area. Dental offices who wish to avail themselves of this service pay Vivos enrollment fees and per case fees for the service, thus adding an important new revenue line and profit center to the business. As of December 31, 2022, there are approximately 70 Vivos-trained (VIP) dental offices who are at some stage of onboarding with our Treatment Navigator program. Based on early feedback, we expect the Treatment Navigator program to continue to grow into a material and important revenue stream as we move forward.

In June 2022, we announced an exclusive distribution agreement with GM Instruments, Ltd. for the distribution of GM Instruments’ NR6 Rhinomanometer, the only FDA approved 4-phase rhinomanometer available in the U.S. used to calculate nasal airway resistance by measuring nasal flow and the pressure producing that flow. Under this agreement, we became the exclusive U.S. and Canadian distributor of this specialized diagnostic equipment for evaluating nasal breathing and function in dental patients with sleep and breathing issues. The objective measurement of nasal breathing can be an essential data point in determining the appropriate breathing and sleep issue treatment pathway as well as a predictor of potential CPAP intolerance or other treatment failure. Based in the United Kingdom, GM Instruments is a global manufacturer and distributor of diagnostic technology for assessing nasal and respiratory flow and function. The NR6 Rhinomanometer offers a quick non-invasive test to measure the function of the nose during active breathing. These test results are being used by Vivos-trained dentists and others to measure outcomes of improvement for pre- mid- and post-treatment of patients undergoing a variety of treatment modalities. Additionally, GM Instruments products are planned for use as part of research protocols to improve and support the outcomes of Vivos products and methods for OSA diagnosis and treatment.

In addition, on February 28, 2023, we acquired certain U.S. and international patents, product rights, and other miscellaneous intellectual property from Advanced Facialdontics, LLC (“AFD”), a company holding propriety technology on certain FDA 510(k) cleared dental and medical devices. With this asset purchase transaction, we acquired U.S. patents, provisional patent applications as well as International patents, PCT patents and patent applications, thus expanding its product portfolio and revenue potential.

AFD’s flagship product, the Preventive Oral Device^®, known as the POD^®, is a custom single arch device with an FDA 510(k) clearance for treating an estimated 40 million patients in the U.S. and Canada with Temporomandibular Joint Dysfunction (TMD) and/or Bruxism (teeth grinding or clenching), both known to be closely associated with OSA. Studies have shown that there is a clear connection between OSA and TMD.

AFD’s second FDA 510(k) cleared product, known as the Night Block™, is a custom dual-arch mandibular advancement oral appliance that incorporates patented unilateral bite block technology, which may alleviate or eliminate many of the downsides that may be a result of traditional oral appliance treatment such as inflammation of the TMJ, facial pain, neck pain, headaches, tension, fatigue, clenching, and grinding.

The acquisition of these novel technologies, patent portfolio and product rights further enhance our existing intellectual property and technology base, enabling us to provide new, complementary products to many OSA patients who experience pain, discomfort, headaches, tooth loss, and other symptoms that could be associated with TMD and Bruxism. In addition, this acquisition will provide our providers with an additional treatment option for patients who do not have OSA, but suffer from jaw pain, headaches, and daytime fatigue oftentimes associated with TMD and Bruxism. We expect to be able to manufacture the AFD products through our existing manufacturing relationships.

Background on OSA

OSA is a serious and chronic disease that negatively impacts a patient’s sleep, health, and quality of life. According to a 2019 article published in Chest Physician, it is estimated that OSA afflicts 54 million adults in the U.S. alone. According to a 2016 report by Frost & Sullivan, OSA has an annual societal cost of over $149.6 billion. According to the study “Global Prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)” conducted by an international panel of leading researchers, nearly 1 billion people worldwide have sleep apnea, and as many as 80% remain undiagnosed. Research has shown that when left untreated, OSA can increase the risk of comorbidities, such as high blood pressure, heart failure, stroke, diabetes, dementia, chronic pain and other debilitating, life-threatening diseases.

Unfortunately for OSA patients, the medical profession has not been able to provide them with solutions that are both effective and desirable. CPAP is the “Gold Standard” treatment for over 90% of OSA patients, but patients often resist having to wear those devices to bed every night for life, and long-term compliance is reported to be around 50%. Traditional oral appliances can be effective over limited time frames, but often create other problems with temporomandibular joint (or TMJ) dysfunction, open bites, infections, and more. As with CPAP, they too must be worn every night for life to be effective. More radical and invasive options such as neuro-stimulation devices, or maxillomandibular advancement surgery are likewise viewed more as treatments of last resort. When The Vivos Method is presented as a viable treatment option against the alternatives discussed above, we believe it will be the preferred choice of most patients.

We believe our proprietary products comprising the Vivos CARE oral appliances represent the first non-surgical, non-invasive and cost-effective treatment for adults with dentofacial abnormalities and/or patients diagnosed with mild to moderate OSA and snoring. Combining technologies that typically expand the upper airway by altering the size, shape and position of its defining tissues, Vivos CARE represents a completely new treatment modality in the treatment of dentofacial abnormalities that often lead to OSA and many other health conditions.

A recently published peer reviewed study in a high impact medical journal (Sleep Medicine) showed that use of our CARE appliances under the guidance of trained Vivos dentists with access to the complete Vivos Method led to significantly lower Apnea Hypopnea Index scores, significant decreases in OSA severity categories, and significantly increased airway volumes, as measured with no appliance in the mouth. These results come from a set of 220 treated patients. A second database review looking at a set of 786 patients undergoing CARE treatment by providers with access to the Vivos Method was presented at the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s annual scientific meeting in 2022 with results largely consistent with this published set. A peer reviewed paper on this set is currently in editorial review and anticipated soon. These two data sets furthermore are generally consistent with data seen in multiple smaller case series published over the preceding decade.

The Vivos Method is estimated to be indicated and potentially effective (within the scope of the FDA cleared uses) in approximately 80% of cases of OSA where patients are compliant with clinical treatments. Our patented oral appliances have been utilized in over 33,000 patients treated worldwide by more than 1,700 trained dentists.

Our Target Customers

The House of Delegates of the American Dental Association in 2017 adopted a policy statement describing the important role dentists can play in helping identify patients at greater risk of sleep related breathing disorders. By virtue of the close connection and relationship between the oral cavity and airway form and function, properly trained dentists can play a pivotal and even leading role in the treatment of dentofacial abnormalities which are known to impact breathing and sleep, which in turn can lead to serious health conditions. The VIP program provides dentists with compelling clinical reasons coupled with strong economic incentives to provide their breathing and sleep disordered patients the best care possible.

We have recently expanded our mission and product line positioning to extend the reach and scope of The Vivos Method beyond the dental profession and to allow for greater collaboration and mutual referrals from other healthcare practitioners, including primary care physicians, medical specialists, chiropractors, nutritionists, physical therapists, and others who see and treat patients with breathing and sleep disorders. We believe this extension of our approach will broaden the knowledge among various professions as to what our technology and products can do for their patients, ultimately leading more patients into treatment with Vivos products and services. We also incorporate courses and curricula at The Vivos Institute into our Vivos Method training that provides information, tools, techniques, and systems that enable other healthcare professionals to engage directly with dentists and actively contribute to the best possible clinical outcome for patients.

Our Mission

Our mission is to rid the world of sleep apnea by being a leading technology platform and go-to resource for the latest and most effective treatment modalities, products, and clinical education available to healthcare providers of all specialties who treat patients suffering from breathing related sleep disorders and their comorbidities. We fully recognize that breathing related sleep disorders, including OSA, are often complex conditions with multiple contributing factors that require more than a single solution. To that end, we have broadened our product and services lines that comprise The Vivos Method to go beyond the proprietary technologies featured in our CARE oral appliances, and now offer providers far greater optionality in selecting a diagnostic or treatment solution that is best for their patients. This approach recognizes that there is no “one size fits all” solution for patients, and that both providers and patients are best served by offering a variety of solutions at various price points that can meet the needs of a larger segment of the population.

We believe this evolution of our mission (which was originally focused almost exclusively on the dental community) will appeal to a much broader array of healthcare professionals, including chiropractors, nutritionists, primary care physicians, cardiologists, physical therapists, dentists and others, all of whom have a strong vested interest in the overall health and wellbeing of their patients, and each of whom has something meaningful to contribute when properly educated and trained. In addition, we see tremendous opportunity with Durable Medical Equipment (DME) companies, who also have relationships with OSA patients. As word spreads among a broader array of professionals, equipment suppliers and their patients, we expect more people to come to know and understand the compelling advantages of The Vivos Method. We believe this will allow us to scale our business and grow our company more rapidly.

Our Market Opportunity

According to a March 2021 Sleep Apnea Devices Market Size & Share Report, the global sleep apnea devices market size was valued at $3.7 billion in 2020 and is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.2% from 2021 to 2028. According to an American Sleep Association study published in 2020, an estimated 50 million to 70 million people in the U.S. are suffering from some form of sleep disorders. Moreover, according to Canadian Respiratory Journal in 2014, around 5.4 million adults in Canada were diagnosed with sleep apnea or were at higher risk of developing OSA. According to a study conducted by ResMed in 2018, around 175 million people in Europe were suffering from sleep apnea. We therefore believe that effective diagnostic and treatment strategies are needed to minimize the negative health impacts of OSA and to maximize cost-effectiveness.

Based on our direct experience with our Vivos-trained providers performing nearly 60,000 VivoScore HSTs during 2022, we strongly believe the published estimates from available public information, which range from 12% to 20% of the population, seriously underestimate the extent of the condition and scope of the problem in the United States and Canada. Our VivoScore testing routinely results in approximately 50% of patients testing positive OSA, a number consistent with a recent study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association on a sample consisting of ~2000 middle-aged to older adults from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, where 47% had moderate-to-severe sleep apnea (OSA). We therefore believe our prior estimate that approximately 15% of the adult population in the United States and Canada suffers from OSA to be extremely conservative. Based on the estimated total adult population of 284 million in the United States and Canada, we believe the total addressable United States and Canadian market could be as high as 80 million adults. To be conservative and based on available data and our internal market analysis, we estimate that over 80% of individuals diagnosed with OSA in the North American addressable market may be candidates for The Vivos Method, leaving us with a total addressable consumer market of approximately 64 million adults.

We currently charge clinicians an average sales price of approximately $1,500 per adult case for The Vivos Method. There are approximately 200,000 general dentists and dental specialists in the United States and another 30,000 in Canada who could potentially offer the Vivos Method to their patients. Add to that the nearly 80,000 licensed chiropractors and over 1.1 million medical doctors across all specialties who routinely see and treat patients with OSA. Each of them see and treat patients with OSA for many related conditions on a regular basis even though the vast majority remain undiagnosed with respect to their OSA. As we raise awareness, and now that new technologies such as SleepImage^® have driven the cost of diagnosis down dramatically, more providers will be able to integrate evaluations of breathing and sleep into their basic clinical treatments, and more patients will get diagnosed and seek treatment. Therefore, based on the addressable U.S. and Canadian consumer market described above and average sales price, we believe the addressable consumer market for adults in the United States and Canada is approximately $96 billion.

Our Treatment Alternative for OSA - The Vivos Method

The Vivos Method is a non-invasive, non-surgical, non-pharmaceutical, multi-disciplinary treatment modality for the treatment of dentofacial abnormalities in adults and children and/or mild to moderate OSA and snoring in adults. Proprietary and virtually painless, The Vivos Method has been shown to typically expand the upper airway and offers patients what we believe to be an effective treatment alternative based on published peer-reviewed retrospective clinical data. Based on feedback from independent VIPs and their patients, we believe initial therapeutic benefits from using the treatment guidance’s and devices are often achieved relatively quickly (in days or weeks) and final clinical results are typically achieved in 12 to 18 months), all at a relatively low cost to consumers ranging between $7,000 and $10,000 for adults (costs vary by provider) when compared to other options such as lifetime CPAP or surgery. With our recently announced product line expansion, Vivos now has less expensive treatment options available for patients down to around $3,500. These lower cost options include mandibular advancement devices (MAD) that are not considered a permanent solution, but may offer certain patients an affordable interim solution until they can upgrade to our CARE devices.

The Vivos Method’s CARE devices alter the size, shape and position of the tissues that surround and define the functional space known as the upper airway. Our treatment also improves nasal breathing, reduces mouth breathing, reduces Apnea Hypopnea Index (AHI) scores, and generally facilitates better breathing and sleep. These statements are based on retrospective raw data with validated before and after sleep studies, rhinomanometry testing before and after treatment, Cone Beam Computerized Tomography (CBCT) scans from treating clinicians and patient testimony. As The Vivos Method CARE treatment process progresses, the airway typically expands, with many patients reporting a significant reduction of their mild to moderate OSA and snoring symptoms. The primary products used in The Vivos Method CARE treatment are the DNA appliance^®, the mRNA appliance^®, and the mmRNA appliance^®, each of which is a specifically designed, customized oral appliance that is worn primarily in the evening hours and overnight. The treatment time may range from 10 to 24 months, with 12 to 18 months being typical. Our appliances may require periodic adjustments some of which can be performed by the patient and others that are typically rendered at the dental office where treatment was initiated. Through the course of treatment with The Vivos Method CARE devices, patients have reported a variety of outcomes, including:

Our Growth Strategy

Our goal is to be the global leader in providing a clinically effective non-surgical, non-invasive, non-pharmaceutical, and low-cost alternative for patients with dentofacial abnormalities and/or mild to moderate OSA and snoring in adults. We believe the following strategies will play a critical role in achieve this goal and in establishing more predictable and growing revenue leading, ultimately, to cash flow positive and profitable operations:

Our Revenue Model

Our revenue is currently derived from the following primary sources:

Our Competitive Strengths

We believe that The Vivos Method has numerous advantages that, taken together, set us apart from the competition and position us for success in the marketplace:

Sales and Marketing

We have established a methodical approach to market development which centers on active engagement directly with members of the medical community, including general dentists and medical doctors who treat dentofacial abnormalities and/or mild to moderate OSA and snoring, to educate them on The Vivos Method and its benefits. The goals of our sales and marketing efforts are (i) to secure new VIP dentists and provide them with the tools to treat patients with our products and (ii) more broadly educate the medical community regarding our products with a view towards expanding our number of VIPs as well as medical professionals who could refer patients to our VIPs for treatment.

We sell the VIP Program to dentists through a direct sales force that primarily targets general dentists in the United States and Canada. Our sales effort is developed through social media initiatives, and our new website with over 150 videos, and the production of over 350 new content creation projects. Our VIP program was developed to train independent dentists to identify and treat dental conditions that may be associated with mild to moderate sleep apnea. Our sales program to target medical doctors is our MID program, which was developed to assist VIP practices to establish clinical collaboration ties to local primary care physicians, sleep specialists, ENTs, pediatricians, pulmonologists and other healthcare professionals who routinely see or treat patients with sleep and breathing disorders.

In countries outside of North America we typically offer a modified training and support program at a lower cost. We currently have approximately 25 direct sales representatives in the United States and Canada. Our direct sales force engages in sales efforts and promotional activities focused on referring physicians, as well as directly to the over 200,000 professionally active general dentists in the United States and 20,000 general dentists in Canada.

Our current VIP sales organization is comprised of three teams consisting of:

Our MID is comprised of a Senior Vice President that leads the MID sales, marketing, operations and finance efforts with one Senior Director of Business Development, one Director of Operations and one Senior Market Manager. We plan to grow our MID organization by recruiting candidates that have extensive healthcare backgrounds, strong business development experience setting up physician owned medical facilities/practices and significant healthcare regulatory knowledge.

In the late fourth quarter of 2021, we launched our sales initiative targeting the large and rapidly growing segment of private equity and corporate sponsored dental groups known as Dental Service Organizations (or DSOs). With an estimated 2,600 DSO groups in the U.S. and Canada covering total office locations in excess of 40,000, DSOs provide business management and support to dental practices, including non-clinical operations. In many ways, DSO’s represent the most patient centric and profit motivated model to scale in dentistry, which we believe makes the integration of sleep medicine as part of the DSO offering an ideal fit for Vivos to help drive awareness of OSA, new VIP subscriptions and sales of our products and services. Our early experience in working with DSOs has been that while some DSO-participating dentists have become VIPs and direct customers of ours, in some cases, the DSO would prefer to be the customer or have primary (or shared) responsibility for paying VIP subscription fees to us.

We utilize indirect and direct marketing channels to inform and educate dentists, medical doctors and healthcare professionals about The Vivos Method. Our indirect marketing channels include strategic partners, industry key opinion leaders, trade shows and our own clinical advisor network.

Our direct marketing channels include outreach to prospective VIPs using digital advertising platforms including Facebook and Google ad placements. The objective of our indirect and direct marketing efforts are to bring dentists, medical doctors and healthcare professionals to our educational and training websites to learn about OSA and its treatment alternatives.

We further believe our dentist and medical doctor marketing efforts have been effective in facilitating contact via our Vivos introduction and online training webinars, despite significant headwinds throughout our core customer base, mostly driven by COVID-19 Delta and Omicron variant resurgences in the early and middle part of the year.

Potential Economics for Trained VIP Clinicians

Dentists that enroll in our VIP program have the potential for compelling economics. The actual incidence of dental patients with OSA will vary, but our conservative estimate would suggest that the average dental practice sees 400-500 adult patients a year with a high risk of suffering from obstructive sleep apnea. Using these demographic figures, the economic potential per dentist may be calculated, based on a retail adult case fee of approximately $9,000, fully burdened VIP provider costs of approximately $3,000, and net profit of approximately $6,000, to be over $3.3 million in annual gross revenue potential annually with over $2.4 million in potential net profit. We believe, based on our experience, that dentists have seen accretive economic additions to their practices by utilizing The Vivos Method, and thus participation in the VIP program can likely add to the dentist’s take-home income.

In terms of continuing training, our sales and clinical advisory dentists conduct training primarily in a highly personalized, deep immersion workshop format at our Vivos Institute. The key topics covered in training include case selection, clinical diagnosis, treatment planning, appliance design, adjunctive therapies, information on our productions and services, guidance on pricing, case acceptance, instruction on insurance reimbursement protocols and interacting with our proprietary software system and the many other features of our website. We present our training material in a manner we believe to be superior to most other dental training and experience, including preparatory online courses, didactic lectures, hands-on training, specialized small group breakout sessions, and post training technical support from assigned mentors. As a result, we are able to complete the initial training workshops, both online and in person, typically within just 6-7 days spread out over a couple of weeks. Our success in training approximately 1,650 dentists confirms our belief that training represents a minimal barrier to adoption for most dentists.

Below is an illustrative model depicting the total additional revenue a dentist might receive by treating patients with The Vivos Method. The potential patients with dentofacial abnormalities and/or mild to moderate OSA is determined by using a calculation that results in a conservative estimate that 30% of patients of a dental practice patient may suffer from OSA (according to a 2019 article published in Chest Physician). The revenue treatment fee is estimated at $9,000 per patient. This illustration helps to explain why a dentist might want to become a trained VIP and use The Vivos Method.

To facilitate the adoption of The Vivos Method, we market the VIP Program, and as part of that offering, we often partner with equipment manufacturers to bundle training and equipment into a turn-key program financed by third party lenders for those dental practices who need to purchase additional equipment. The VIP Program fees are also often financed by third party lenders separate from any equipment purchases. Loan terms and payments will vary depending on the doctor’s credit, the interest rate, the amount financed, and the term of the loan. Generally, payments on such financing range from about $600 to $2,500 per month.

Insurance Reimbursement

Insurance reimbursement is available across the full spectrum of Vivos appliances. Medical coverage and benefits are subject to medical necessity and payer guidelines. Although medical insurance is never a guarantee of payment, the average reimbursement seen is approximately 50% (ranging from 5% to 70%). Benefits payable are subject to deductibles and policy limitations that may vary. A verification of benefits (VOB) is generally required for all medical policies to check for validity of billable coding for oral appliance therapy (OAT) and need for pre-authorization that may be required for reimbursement. Vivos Integrated Practices (VIPs) typically remain out-of-network with commercial health insurance, but this depends on the individual practice and the commercial payer guidelines in each state. As out-of-network providers, dentists can set their own fees and balance bill the patient for the cost of care not covered by the patient’s health insurance. Although many patients pay for treatment out of pocket on a fee for service basis, the availability of health insurance coverage is an important consideration for many patients who desire treatment so that billing guidance is an important component of support provided by Vivos to VIPs.

Our mRNA appliance® and mmRNA appliance® are custom fabricated mandibular advancement appliances indicated to treat mild to moderate OSA and snoring in adults. The mRNA and mmRNA can be billed in- and out-of-network to most commercial payers under the E0486 CPT code. The E0486 code is reimbursable by many major commercial medical payers following a medical diagnosis of OSA and adherence to payer guidelines for alternative OSA therapy. Pre-authorization may also be required for reimbursement of these appliances and the pre-authorization requirements may vary based on the payer policies and patient’s insurance coverage. As described above, the same VOB and pre-authorization/LMN process is employed in the billing practices for these appliances to navigate the pathway to payment of medical benefits.

Our mRNA appliance® and our DNA appliance are not currently covered by Medicare or Medicaid as they do not feature the specific design criteria required by the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare (CMS) for payment for oral appliances billed with code E0486. To meet the billing requirements of CMS for custom mandibular advancement oral appliances, the mmRNA appliance® (Modified Mandibular Repositioning Nighttime Appliance) was developed based on the original design of the mRNA appliance. In August 2021 510(k) for Class II clearance from the FDA for the mmRNA appliance with indications to treat jaw repositioning and mild to moderate OSA and snoring in adults was approved. In December 2021, the mmRNA was accepted by the CMS Pricing, Data Analysis and Coding (“PDAC”). This acceptance places the mmRNA device on the PDAC list of oral appliances covered by and billable to Medicare, making the benefits of the mmRNA device available to millions of Medicare beneficiaries. Notwithstanding this important achievement, in general we have found the lack of inclusion on the current CMS Medicare PDAC list does not hinder market distribution or acceptance of Vivos appliances. This is due to the fact that most dentists who work with The Vivos Method are out-of-network with commercial payers and do not typically file for reimbursement under Medicare. When Medicare reimbursement is desired by Vivos providers they are typically registered with Medicare DME as a non-participating DME supplier, allowing the provider to balance bill patients like they would when billing as an out-of- network provider to commercial policies and are not limited to accepting Medicare reimbursement rates as payment in full.

We have seen an increase in the ability for Reimbursement for our other FDA registered oral appliances such as the Vivos Guides for children and the DNA appliance for adults. When preauthorizing and billing the Vivos Guides and DNA appliance an undefined CPT code can be utilized only when medical necessity is present and documented properly. A dentist billing an undefined CPT code for a Class I or Class II oral appliance must proceed with caution. These preauthorization and billing requirements pertain to all valid and billable codes and must be supported with documented medical necessity reviewed by the medical director at the payor before being submitted for possible reimbursement. Pre-authorization with medical review is accomplished via a “letter of medical necessity” (LMN) used to summarize and communicate the existing medical necessity. The plan’s medical director will then review the LMN, supporting clinical documentation of dentofacial abnormalities present, CT images, co-morbidities, and any other related medical conditions diagnosed by a medical doctor. Once authorized the OAT can be billed for benefit calculation and payment. In December 2022 the DNA appliance received 510(k) clearance with indications to treat mild to moderate OSA and snoring in adults. While the DNA appliance can still be pre-authorized and billed using an undefined CPT code, the newly issued 510(k) clearance for the DNA appliance allows for additional code types to be utilized when OSA is present and diagnosed by a Medical Doctor. The DNA appliance can be pre-authorized and billed using a HCPCS Code designated for use by reducing upper airway collapsibility, that is custom fabricated, without a fixed mechanical hinge. While the use of this designated HCPCS code is new there is a potential pathway for additional registrations with Vivos appliances on the PDAC list of oral appliances covered by and billable to Medicare.

Dental Insurance Coverage

Dental insurance coverage for Vivos appliances also exists. Codes for sleep apnea appliances were added to the CDT code set in 2022. Vivos appliances with indications for treatment of OSA are billable with these code, however dental benefits for these codes are nascent at present and secondary to medical coverage. Orthodontic coverage and benefits are also available for Vivos appliances registered with indication of jaw expansion and tooth movement.

Published Research

There are several studies in the medical literature on upper airway remodeling in pathologic conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and similar conditions. In contrast, there is a dearth of studies that have documented pneumatization and physiologic upper airway remodeling. Advances in 3D digital imaging, adjunctive treatments from chiropractic and other specialists, and applied diagnostic technologies such as rhinomanometry, combined with real-world experience in many thousands of cases, has allowed us to make further advances in the understanding of dentofacial phenomena and how to activate and optimize dentofacial development for improved airway form and function. For example, while it was believed that cranial sutures undergo closure in early adulthood, it is now thought that populations of stem cells may persist to permit continued growth and development. Using this premise, the midfacial bone volume may be increased surgically or non-surgically. Since the roof of the mouth is the floor of the nose, the volume of the nasal airway can also be increased surgically or non-surgically. There are certain aspects of the underlying biological and bio-mechanical processes that we currently do not fully understand, and are continually exploring. Nevertheless, our experience continues to be that using our patented, non-surgical treatment we are able to target and evoke a resizing of the oral cavity and upper airways to address dentofacial abnormalities and/or mild to moderate OSA and snoring. Using various assessment techniques, we have previously reported surface area, volumetric and functional changes of the upper airway.

Since 2009, our technology has been the subject of over 60 peer-reviewed articles in the medical, dental and orthodontic literature. While most of these papers have been small uncontrolled case series, their results were reflected in our retrospective database review of 220 patients undergoing CARE treatment for Obstructive Sleep Apnea published in July 2022 in Sleep Medicine. The results of that review showed 63.6% of Vivos patients had achieved improvement in their AHI scores by at least one severity class, while 25.9% saw a complete resolution of their OSA symptoms. Again, these results were measured pre- and post-treatment, with no appliance in the mouth. Several more retrospective data sets have been presented at scientific meetings in the past year that further corroborate clinical efficacy of Vivos CARE treatment in adult OSA, pediatric OSA, and also in adult headache severity. The results of these presentations are in various stages of medical journal submission. The results published have illustrated that CARE therapy when provided as part of the Vivos Method can provide a significant change in the severity of patients’ dentofacial abnormalities and/or OSA and snoring (as measured by industry standard indices such as the AHI, among others), improvement in oral conditions, sleep-related quality of life, reduction in snoring, high patient compliance rates and a strong safety profile.

Intellectual Property

To establish and protect our proprietary rights, we rely on a combination of patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets, including know-how, license agreements, confidentiality procedures, non-disclosure agreements with third parties, employee disclosure and invention assignment agreements, and other contractual rights. Our intellectual property is important in achieving and maintaining our position in the market. We currently own five design patents that expire between 2023 through 2029 and two utility patents expiring in 2029 and 2030. We also own two Canadian patents and a European patent that has been validated in Belgium, Switzerland, Germany, Denmark, Spain, France, United Kingdom, Hungary, Italy and the Netherlands, all of which expire in 2029. Our U.S. trademark portfolio consists of ten registered marks and one pending trademark application. Extensive online and in-person training, multiple touch point support systems, specific fabrication materials, customized appliance designs, and multi-disciplinary treatment modalities are all considered proprietary trade secrets and competitive advantages with no known counterparts.

FDA Regulatory Status

The Vivos Method offers treatment modalities that uses nonsurgical, noninvasive, and cost-effective oral appliance technology prescribed by trained dentists and medical professionals to treat dentofacial abnormalities and/or mild to moderate OSA and snoring. The Vivos Method includes a customized treatment plan that may begin with a simple and easy at-home sleep apnea screening using proprietary HST technology from SleepImage^®. We offer three Class II devices cleared by the FDA (DNA, mRNA and mmRNA). We offer our own specially designed pre-formed Vivos Guides. The regulatory status of our products is as follows:

We are conducting two separate Western Copernicus Group Institutional Review Board (“WCG IRB”) approved pediatric clinical trials with eight private dental sites around the country.

The purpose of the first study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of an intraoral device (the DNA) to reduce sleep related breathing disorders in children, including: snoring, mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), and Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome (“UARS”). The child subjects enrolled in this study will be using the DNA appliance to correct orthodontic issues. They will also present with midfacial hypoplasia suitable for arch development. During orthodontic treatment and arch development, the device will be studied to determine whether it can also reduce symptoms of sleep-related breathing disorders in children. The study will recruit pediatric subjects who have already elected to utilize the study device for their orthodontic treatment. If they meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria, then they will be included in the study.

The purpose of the second study is to evaluate the safety and efficacy of an intraoral device (the Vivos Grow and/or Vivos Way appliances) to reduce sleep-related breathing disorders in children, including: snoring, mild to moderate OSA, and UARS. The child subjects enrolled in this study will be using the Vivos Grow/Vivos Way appliance to correct orthodontic issues. They will also present with midfacial hypoplasia suitable for arch development. During orthodontic treatment and arch development, the devices will be studied to determine whether they can also reduce symptoms of sleep related breathing disorders in children. The study will recruit pediatric subjects who have already elected to utilize the study device for their orthodontic treatment. If they meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria they can be included in the study. Upon completion of the two pediatric clinical trials described below which are expected to be completed in the next 6 to 12 months we plan to submit two separate 510(k) applications to the FDA requesting pediatric clearances and indications of use for the DNA appliance^® as well as the Vivos Guides.

All of the oral appliances that comprise our Vivos Complete Airway Repositioning and/or Expansion (CARE) system (our DNA appliance^®, mRNA appliance and mmRNA appliance^®) are cleared by the FDA as Class II sleep appliances to treat mild to moderate OSA and snoring in adults. Patients undergoing treatment are seeing improvement in the said cleared indications of use, but clinicians have also reported that they are seeing other comorbidities and medical conditions improve due to treatment. These appliances (which are central to The Vivos Method) and other Vivos appliances are made available to trained clinicians who exercise their independent clinical judgment with respect to their use and suitability as a part of an overall treatment created for each individual patient.

In October of 2022, we underwent our 2-year FDA regulatory inspection. This inspection resulted in our receipt of an FDA Form 483 with three observations, none of which was a repeat offense from previous inspections. These observations were corrected and responded to according to the Code of Federal Regulations. The FDA delivered a final report of the October 2022 inspection to us in January 2023.

Manufacturing and Supply

We rely on third-party suppliers and manufacturers on a per order, or per item basis. Outsourcing manufacturing reduces our need for capital investment and reduces operational expenses. Additionally, outsourcing provides expertise and capacity necessary to scale up or down based on demand for our appliances. We select our manufacturing labs so we can ensure that our appliances are safe and effective, adhere to all applicable regulations, are of the highest quality, and meet our supply needs. We also rely on third-party carriers and freight forwarders for product shipments, including shipments to and from our manufactures’ distribution facilities and customer distribution facilities.

Our Ongoing Clinical Research

We are committed to ongoing research and development, and we intend to invest in our business to further improve our products and clinical outcomes, increase patient acceptance and comfort and broaden the patient population that can benefit from The Vivos Method. In addition to the following two currently active clinical trials we are aggressively pursuing head-to-head comparisons of the DNA vs. CPAP in moderate to severe OSA, DNA vs. tonsillectomy in pediatric OSA, and DNA vs. routine management in Veterans with OSA and post-traumatic stress disorder with potential sites identified and preliminary work underway.

Government Regulation

Our products and our operations are subject to extensive regulation by the FDA and other federal and state authorities in the United States, as well as comparable authorities in the European Economic Area (“EEA”). Our products are subject to regulation as medical devices under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, or FDCA, as implemented and enforced by the FDA. The FDA regulates the development, design, non-clinical and clinical research, manufacturing, safety, efficacy, labeling, packaging, storage, installation, servicing, recordkeeping, premarket clearance or approval, import, export, adverse event reporting, advertising, promotion, marketing and distribution, and import and export of medical devices to ensure that medical devices distributed domestically are safe and effective for their intended uses and otherwise meet the requirements of the FDCA.

In addition to U.S. regulations, we are subject to a variety of regulations in the EEA governing clinical trials and the commercial sales and distribution of our products. Whether or not we have or are required to obtain FDA clearance or approval for a product, we will be required to obtain authorization before commencing clinical trials and to obtain marketing authorization or approval of our products under the comparable regulatory authorities of countries outside of the United States before we can commence clinical trials or commercialize our products in those countries. The approval process varies from country to country and the time may be longer or shorter than that required for FDA clearance or approval.

FDA Premarket Clearance and Approval Requirements

Unless an exemption applies, each medical device commercially distributed in the United States requires either FDA clearance of a 510(k) premarket notification or pre-market approval (PMA). Under the FDCA, medical devices are classified into one of three classes-Class I, Class II or Class III-depending on the degree of risk associated with each medical device and the extent of manufacturer and regulatory control needed to ensure its safety and effectiveness. Class I includes devices with the lowest risk to the patient and are those for which safety and effectiveness can be assured by adherence to the FDA’s General Controls for medical devices, which include compliance with the applicable portions of the QSR, facility registration and product listing, reporting of adverse medical events, and truthful and non-misleading labeling, advertising, and promotional materials. Class II devices are subject to the FDA’s General Controls, and special controls as deemed necessary by the FDA to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the device. These special controls can include performance standards, post-market surveillance, patient registries and FDA guidance documents. While most Class I devices are exempt from the 510(k) premarket notification requirement, manufacturers of most Class II devices are required to submit to the FDA a premarket notification under Section 510(k) of the FDCA requesting permission to commercially distribute the device. The FDA’s permission to commercially distribute a device subject to a 510(k) premarket notification is generally known as 510(k) clearance. Under the 510(k) process, the manufacturer must submit to the FDA a premarket notification demonstrating that the device is “substantially equivalent” to either a device that was legally marketed (for which the FDA has not required a PMA submission) prior to May 28, 1976, the date upon which the Medical Device Amendments of 1976 were enacted, or another commercially available device that was cleared to through the 510(k) process. The FDA has 90 days from the date of the pre-market equivalence acceptance to authorize or decline commercial distribution of the device. However, similar to the PMA process, clearance may take longer than this three-month window, as the FDA can request additional data. If the FDA resolves that the product is not substantially equivalent to a predicate device, then the device acquires a Class III designation, and a PMA must be approved before the device can be commercialized.

The Vivos Guides are registered with the FDA as Class I devices for orthodontic tooth positioning. On December 30, 2022, the FDA granted 510k clearance for the DNA appliance^® as a Class II medical device for jaw repositioning, and for the treatment of mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea and snoring in adults. This approval was the first time the FDA has granted such a clearance on an oral appliance with a mechanism of action other than mandibular advancement. The mRNA appliance® has 510(k) clearance from the FDA as a Class II medical device for the treatment of snoring, and mild-to-moderate OSA in adults. The mmRNA appliance® has 510(k) clearance from the FDA as a Class II medical device for jaw repositioning, and for the treatment of snoring, and mild-to-moderate OSA in adults.

Devices deemed by the FDA to pose the greatest risks, such as life-sustaining, life-supporting or some implantable devices, or devices that have a new intended use, or use advanced technology that is not substantially equivalent to that of a legally marketed device, are placed in Class III, requiring approval of a PMA. Some pre-amendment devices are unclassified but are subject to the FDA’s premarket notification and clearance process in order to be commercially distributed. We do not have any Class III devices.

PMA Pathway

Class III devices require PMA approval before they can be marketed although some pre-amendment Class III devices for which the FDA has not yet required a PMA are cleared through the 510(k) process. The PMA process is more demanding than the 510(k) premarket notification process. In a PMA application, the manufacturer must demonstrate that the device is safe and effective, and the PMA application must be supported by extensive data, including data from preclinical studies and human clinical trials. The PMA must also contain a full description of the device and its components, a full description of the methods, facilities and controls used for manufacturing, and proposed labeling. Following receipt of a PMA application, the FDA determines whether the application is sufficiently complete to permit a substantive review. If the FDA accepts the application for review, it has 180 days under the FDCA to complete its review of a PMA application, although in practice, the FDA’s review often takes significantly longer, and can take up to several years. An advisory panel of experts from outside the FDA may be convened to review and evaluate the application and provide recommendations to the FDA as to the approvability of the device. The FDA may or may not accept the panel’s recommendation. In addition, the FDA will generally conduct a preapproval inspection of the applicant or its third-party manufacturers.

The FDA will approve the new device for commercial distribution if it determines that the data and information in the PMA application constitute valid scientific evidence and that there is reasonable assurance that the device is safe and effective for its intended use(s). The FDA may approve a PMA application with post-approval conditions intended to ensure the safety and effectiveness of the device, including, among other things, restrictions on labeling, promotion, sale and distribution, and collection of long-term follow-up data from patients in the clinical study that supported a PMA approval or requirements to conduct additional clinical studies post-approval. The FDA may condition a PMA approval on some form of post-market surveillance when deemed necessary to protect the public health or to provide additional safety and efficacy data for the device in a larger population or for a longer period of use. In such cases, the manufacturer might be required to follow certain patient groups for a number of years and to make periodic reports to the FDA on the clinical status of those patients. Failure to comply with the conditions of approval can result in material adverse enforcement action, including withdrawal of the approval.

Certain changes to an approved device, such as changes in manufacturing facilities, methods, or quality control procedures, or changes in the design performance specifications, which affect the safety or effectiveness of the device, require submission of a new PMA application or a PMA supplement. PMA supplements often require submission of the same type of information as a PMA application, except that the supplement is limited to information needed to support any changes from the device covered by the original PMA application and may not require as extensive clinical data or the convening of an advisory panel. Certain other changes to an approved device require the submission of a new PMA application, such as when the design change causes a different intended use, mode of operation, and technical basis of operation, or when the design change is so significant that a new generation of the device will be developed, and the data that were submitted with the original PMA application are not applicable for the change in demonstrating a reasonable assurance of safety and effectiveness.

Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are almost always required to support a PMA application and are sometimes required to support a 510(k) submission. All clinical investigations of investigational devices to determine safety and effectiveness must be conducted in accordance with the FDA’s investigational device exemption, or IDE, regulations which govern investigational device labeling, prohibit promotion of the investigational device, and specify an array of recordkeeping, reporting and monitoring responsibilities of study sponsors and study investigators. If the device presents a “significant risk” to human health, as defined by the FDA, the FDA requires the device sponsor to submit an IDE application to the FDA, which must become effective prior to commencing human clinical trials. A significant risk device is one that presents a potential for serious risk to the health, safety, or welfare of a patient and either is implanted, used in supporting or sustaining human life, substantially important in diagnosing, curing, mitigating or treating disease or otherwise preventing impairment of human health, or otherwise presents a potential for serious risk to a subject. An IDE application must be supported by appropriate data, such as animal and laboratory test results, showing that it is safe to test the device in humans and that the testing protocol is scientifically sound. The IDE will automatically become effective 30 days after receipt by the FDA unless the FDA notifies us that the investigation may not begin. If the FDA determines that there are deficiencies or other concerns with an IDE for which it requires modification, the FDA may require a response on such deficiencies or permit a clinical trial to proceed under a conditional approval.

In addition, the study must be approved by, and conducted under the oversight of, an Institutional Review Board, or IRB, for each clinical site. The IRB is responsible for the initial and continuing review of the IDE, and may pose additional requirements for the conduct of the study. If an IDE application is approved by the FDA and one or more IRBs, human clinical trials may begin at a specific number of investigational sites with a specific number of patients, as approved by the FDA. If the device presents a non-significant risk to the patient, a sponsor may begin the clinical trial after obtaining approval for the trial by one or more IRBs without separate approval from the FDA, but must still follow abbreviated IDE requirements, such as monitoring the investigation, ensuring that the investigators obtain informed consent, and labeling and record-keeping requirements. Acceptance of an IDE application for review does not guarantee that the FDA will allow the IDE to become effective and, if it does become effective, the FDA may or may not determine that the data derived from the trials support the safety and effectiveness of the device or warrant the continuation of clinical trials. An IDE supplement must be submitted to, and approved by, the FDA before a sponsor or investigator may make a change to the investigational plan that may affect its scientific soundness, study plan or the rights, safety or welfare of human subjects.

During a study, the sponsor is required to comply with the applicable FDA requirements, including, for example, trial monitoring, selecting clinical investigators and providing them with the investigational plan, ensuring IRB review, adverse event reporting, record keeping and prohibitions on the promotion of investigational devices or on making safety or effectiveness claims for them. The clinical investigators in the clinical study are also subject to FDA regulations and must obtain patient informed consent, rigorously follow the investigational plan and study protocol, control the disposition of the investigational device, and comply with all reporting and recordkeeping requirements. Additionally, after a trial begins, we, the FDA or the IRB could suspend or terminate a clinical trial at any time for various reasons, including a belief that the risks to study subjects outweigh the anticipated benefits.

Post-market Regulation

After a device is cleared or approved for marketing, numerous and pervasive regulatory requirements continue to apply. These include:

We may be subject to similar foreign laws that may include applicable post-marketing requirements such as safety surveillance. Our manufacturing processes are required to comply with the applicable portions of the quality system regulation (“QSR”), which cover the methods and the facilities and controls for the design, manufacture, testing, production, processes, controls, quality assurance, labeling, packaging, distribution, installation, and servicing of finished devices intended for human use. The QSR also requires, among other things, maintenance of a device master file, device history file, and complaint files. As a manufacturer, our facilities, records, and manufacturing processes are subject to periodic scheduled or unscheduled inspections by the FDA. Our failure to maintain compliance with the QSR or other applicable regulatory requirements could result in the shut-down of, or restrictions on, our manufacturing operations and the recall or seizure of our products. The discovery of previously unknown problems with any of our products, including unanticipated adverse events or adverse events of increasing severity or frequency, whether resulting from the use of the device within the scope of its clearance or off-label by a physician in the practice of medicine, could result in restrictions on the device, including the removal of the product from the market or voluntary or mandatory device recalls or a public warning letter that could harm both our reputation and sales. Any potential consequences of off-label use of the DNA appliance are the responsibility of the treating independent dentist; however, we may face consequences related to such off-label use. See “Risk Factors- The misuse or off-label use of The Vivos Method may harm our reputation in the marketplace, result in injuries that lead to product liability suits or result in costly investigations, fines or sanctions by regulatory bodies if we are deemed to have engaged in the promotion of these uses, any of which could be costly to our business.”

The FDA has broad regulatory compliance and enforcement powers. If the FDA determines that we failed to comply with applicable regulatory requirements, it can take a variety of compliance or enforcement actions, which may result in any of the following sanctions:

Regulation of Medical Devices in Canada

Canada regulates the import and sale of medical devices through Health Canada (or HC). HC reviews medical devices to assess their safety, effectiveness, and quality before being authorized for sale in Canada. HC classifies medical devices into four classifications, with Class I being the lowest risk and Class IV being the highest. Class I and II devices are often cleared for sale after they are CE marked or listed on the company’s ISO certification and filed via fax-back applications for a Medical Device License (“MDL”). Obtaining an MDL is comparable to the FDA 510(k) process. Higher classification risk devices (Class III and IV) require filing dossiers that resemble FDA 510(k) applications. These applications can range in cost and typically take longer for approval.

Regulation of Medical Devices in Australia

Australia regulates the import and sale of medical devices through the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) of Australia, a Tier 1 regulatory body. Registering a medical device with the TGA entails risk-based classification; compliance with quality, safety and performance principles; compliance with regulatory controls for manufacturing processes; listing in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods; and post-market vigilance programs. Australia follows the standards applied by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) which is currently made up of 165 members/countries. Equivalent to the FDA in the United States, the TGA regulates the manufacturing and distribution of therapeutic goods in Australia. During 2022, we received clearance from TGA to sell our full line of products in Australia, with no restrictions as to the severity of OSA or other constraints.

Federal, State and Foreign Fraud and Abuse and Physician Payment Transparency Laws

In addition to FDA restrictions on marketing and promotion of drugs and devices, other federal and state laws restrict our business practices. These laws include, without limitation, foreign, federal, and state anti-kickback and false claims laws, as well as transparency laws regarding payments or other items of value provided to healthcare providers.

The federal Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits, among other things, knowingly and willfully offering, paying, soliciting or receiving any remuneration (including any kickback, bribe or rebate), directly or indirectly, overtly or covertly, in cash or in kind to induce or in return for purchasing, leasing, ordering or arranging for or recommending the purchase, lease or order of any good, facility, item or service reimbursable, in whole or in part, under Medicare, Medicaid or other federal healthcare programs. The term “remuneration” has been broadly interpreted to include anything of value, including stock, stock options, and the compensation derived through ownership interests.

Recognizing that the federal Anti-Kickback Statute is broad and may prohibit many innocuous or beneficial arrangements within the healthcare industry, the United State Department of Health and Human Services (“DHHS”) issued regulations in July 1991, which DHHS has referred to as “safe harbors.” These safe harbor regulations set forth certain provisions which, if met in form and substance, will assure medical device manufacturers, healthcare providers and other parties that they will not be prosecuted under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute. Additional safe harbor provisions providing similar protections have been published intermittently since 1991. Although there are a number of statutory exceptions and regulatory safe harbors protecting some common activities from prosecution, the exceptions and safe harbors are drawn narrowly. Our arrangements with physicians, hospitals and other persons or entities who are in a position to refer may not fully meet the stringent criteria specified in the various safe harbors. Practices that involve remuneration that may be alleged to be intended to induce prescribing, purchases or recommendations may be subject to scrutiny if they do not fall within an exception or safe harbor. Failure to meet all of the requirements of a particular applicable statutory exception or regulatory safe harbor does not make the conduct per se illegal under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute. Instead, the legality of the arrangement will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis based on a cumulative review of all its facts and circumstances. Several courts have interpreted the statute’s intent requirement to mean that if any one purpose of an arrangement involving remuneration is to induce referrals of federal healthcare covered business, the federal Anti-Kickback Statute has been violated. In addition, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation. Moreover, a claim including items or services resulting from a violation of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute constitutes a false or fraudulent claim for purposes of the federal civil False Claims Act (described below).

Violations of the federal Anti-Kickback Statute may result in civil monetary penalties up to $100,000 for each violation, plus up to three times the remuneration involved. Civil penalties for such conduct can further be assessed under the federal False Claims Act. Violations can also result in criminal penalties, including criminal fines of up to $100,000 and imprisonment of up to 10 years. Similarly, violations can result in exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs, including Medicare and Medicaid. Liability under the federal Anti-Kickback Statute may also arise because of the intentions or actions of the parties with whom we do business. While we are not aware of any such intentions or actions, we have only limited knowledge regarding the intentions or actions underlying those arrangements. Conduct and business arrangements that do not fully satisfy one of these safe harbor provisions may result in increased scrutiny by government enforcement authorities. The majority of states also have anti-kickback laws which establish similar prohibitions and, in some cases, may apply more broadly to items or services covered by any third-party payor, including commercial insurers and self-pay patients.

The federal civil False Claims Act prohibits, among other things, any person or entity from knowingly presenting, or causing to be presented, a false or fraudulent claim for payment or approval to the federal government or knowingly making, using or causing to be made or used a false record or statement material to a false or fraudulent claim to the federal government. A claim includes “any request or demand” for money or property presented to the U.S. government. The federal civil False Claims Act also applies to false submissions that cause the government to be paid less than the amount to which it is entitled, such as a rebate. Intent to deceive is not required to establish liability under the civil federal civil False Claims Act.

In addition, private parties may initiate “qui tam” whistleblower lawsuits against any person or entity under the federal civil False Claims Act in the name of the government and share in the proceeds of the lawsuit. Penalties for federal civil False Claim Act violations include fines for each false claim, plus up to three times the amount of damages sustained by the federal government and, most critically, may provide the basis for exclusion from government healthcare programs, including Medicare and Medicaid. On May 20, 2009, the Fraud Enforcement Recovery Act of 2009 (“FERA”), was enacted, which modifies and clarifies certain provisions of the federal civil False Claims Act. In part, the FERA amends the federal civil False Claims Act such that penalties may now apply to any person, including an organization that does not contract directly with the government, who knowingly makes, uses or causes to be made or used, a false record or statement material to a false or fraudulent claim paid in part by the federal government. The government may further prosecute conduct constituting a false claim under the federal criminal False Claims Act. The criminal False Claims Act prohibits the making or presenting of a claim to the government knowing such claim to be false, fictitious or fraudulent and, unlike the federal civil False Claims Act, requires proof of intent to submit a false claim. When an entity is determined to have violated the federal civil False Claims Act, the government may impose civil fines and penalties ranging from $11,181 to $22,363 for each false claim, plus treble damages, and exclude the entity from participation in Medicare, Medicaid and other federal healthcare programs.

The Civil Monetary Penalty Act of 1981 imposes penalties against any person or entity that, among other things, is determined to have presented or caused to be presented a claim to a federal healthcare program that the person knows or should know is for an item or service that was not provided as claimed or is false or fraudulent, or offering or transferring remuneration to a federal healthcare beneficiary that a person knows or should know is likely to influence the beneficiary’s decision to order or receive items or services reimbursable by the government from a particular provider or supplier.

HIPAA also created additional federal criminal statutes that prohibit among other actions, knowingly and willfully executing, or attempting to execute, a scheme to defraud any healthcare benefit program, including private third-party payors, knowingly and willfully embezzling or stealing from a healthcare benefit program, willfully obstructing a criminal investigation of a healthcare offense, and knowingly and willfully falsifying, concealing or covering up a material fact or making any materially false, fictitious or fraudulent statement in connection with the delivery of or payment for healthcare benefits, items or services. Similar to the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, a person or entity does not need to have actual knowledge of the statute or specific intent to violate it in order to have committed a violation.

Many foreign countries have similar laws relating to healthcare fraud and abuse. Foreign laws and regulations may vary greatly from country to country. For example, the advertising and promotion of our products is subject to EU Directives concerning misleading and comparative advertising and unfair commercial practices, as well as other EEA Member State legislation governing the advertising and promotion of medical devices. These laws may limit or restrict the advertising and promotion of our products to the general public and may impose limitations on our promotional activities with healthcare professionals. Also, many U.S. states have similar fraud and abuse statutes or regulations that may be broader in scope and may apply regardless of payor, in addition to items and services reimbursed under Medicaid and other state programs.

Additionally, there has been a recent trend of increased foreign, federal, and state regulation of payments and transfers of value provided to healthcare professionals or entities. The federal Physician Payments Sunshine Act imposes annual reporting requirements on certain drug, biologics, medical supplies and device manufacturers for which payment is available under Medicare, Medicaid or Children’s Health Insurance Program (“CHIP”), for payments and other transfers of value provided by them, directly or indirectly, to physicians (including physician family members), certain other healthcare providers, and teaching hospitals, as well as ownership and investment interests held by physicians and their immediate family members. A manufacturer’s failure to submit timely, accurately and completely the required information for all payments, transfers of value or ownership or investment interests may result in civil monetary penalties ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 for each payment or other transfer of value that Is not reported (up to a maximum per annual report of $150,000) and from $10,000 to $100,000 for each knowing failure to report (up to a maximum per annual report of $1,150,000). Manufacturers must submit reports by the 90^th day of each calendar year. Certain foreign countries and U.S. states also mandate implementation of commercial compliance programs, impose restrictions on device manufacturer marketing practices and require tracking and reporting of gifts, compensation and other remuneration to healthcare professionals and entities. Additionally, there are criminal penalties if an entity intentionally makes false statement in such reports. With some exceptions, the information that manufacturers report is made publicly available.

Data Privacy and Security Laws

We are also subject to various federal, state and foreign laws that protect the confidentiality of certain patient health information, including patient medical records, and restrict the use and disclosure of patient health information by healthcare providers, such as HIPAA, as amended by HITECH, in the United States.

HIPAA established uniform standards governing the conduct of certain electronic healthcare transactions and requires certain entities, called covered entities, to comply with standards that include the privacy and security of protected health information, or PHI. HIPAA also requires business associates, such as independent contractors or agents of covered entities that have access to PHI in connection with providing a service to or on behalf of a covered entity, of covered entities to enter into business associate agreements with the covered entity and to safeguard the covered entity’s PHI against improper use and disclosure.

The HIPAA privacy regulations cover the use and disclosure of protected health information by covered entities as well as business associates, which are defined to include subcontractors that create, receive, maintain, or transmit protected health information on behalf of a business associate. They also set forth certain rights that an individual has with respect to his or her protected health information maintained by a covered entity, including the right to access or amend certain records containing protected health information, or to request restrictions on the use or disclosure of protected health information. The security regulations establish requirements for safeguarding the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of protected health information that is electronically transmitted or electronically stored. HITECH, among other things, established certain health information security breach notification requirements. A covered entity must notify any individual whose protected health information is breached according to the specifications set forth in the breach notification rule. The HIPAA privacy and security regulations establish a uniform federal “floor” and do not supersede state laws that are more stringent or provide individuals with greater rights with respect to the privacy or security of, and access to, their records containing protected health information or insofar as such state laws apply to personal information that is broader in scope than protected health information as defined under HIPAA.

HIPAA requires the notification of patients, and other compliance actions, in the event of a breach of unsecured protected health information, or PHI. If notification to patients of a breach is required, such notification must be provided without unreasonable delay and in no event later than 60 calendar days after discovery of the breach. In addition, if the PHI of 500 or more individuals is improperly used or disclosed, we would be required to report the improper use or disclosure to DHHS, Office of Civil Rights, which would post the violation on its website, and to the media. Failure to comply with the HIPAA privacy and security standards can result in civil monetary penalties up to $59,522 per violation, not to exceed $1,785,651 per calendar year for non-compliance of an identical provision, and, in certain circumstances, criminal penalties with fines up to $250,000 per violation and/or imprisonment.

HIPAA authorizes state attorneys general to file suit on behalf of their residents for violations. Courts are able to award damages, costs and attorneys’ fees related to violations of HIPAA in such cases. While HIPAA does not create a private right of action allowing individuals to file suit against us in civil court for violations of HIPAA, its standards have been used as the basis for duty of care cases in state civil suits such as those for negligence or recklessness in the misuse or breach of PHI. In addition, HIPAA mandates that the Secretary of DHHS conduct periodic compliance audits of HIPAA covered entities, such as us, and their business associates for compliance with the HIPAA privacy and security standards. It also tasks DHHS with establishing a methodology whereby harmed individuals who were the victims of breaches of unsecured PHI may receive a percentage of the civil monetary penalty paid by the violator.

Healthcare Reform

Economic, political and regulatory influences are continuously causing fundamental changes in the healthcare industry in the United States. In 2010, the U.S. Congress enacted and President Obama signed into law, significant reforms to the U.S. healthcare system. These reforms, contained primarily in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (the “PPACA”) and its companion act, the Health Care Education and Reconciliation Act of 2010 (collectively, the “Health Reform Laws”), significantly altered the U.S. healthcare system by authorizing, among many other things: (i) increased access to health insurance benefits for the uninsured and underinsured populations; (ii) new facilitators and providers of health insurance, as well as new health insurance purchasing access points (i.e., exchanges); (iii) incentives for certain employer groups to purchase health insurance for their employees; (iv) opportunities for subsidies to certain qualifying individuals to help defray the cost of premiums and other out-of-pocket costs associated with the purchase of health insurance, and over the longer term; and (v) mechanisms to foster alternative payment and reimbursement methodologies focused on outcomes, quality and care coordination. In addition, certain states in which we operate are periodically considering various healthcare reform proposals.

Since their passage in 2010, the Health Reform Laws have triggered many changes to the U.S. healthcare system, some of which took effect (e.g., the subsequently eliminated individual mandate penalty) while others have continued to be delayed and subsequently repealed (e.g., the medical device tax). The Health Reform Laws also have faced several challenges and remain subject to ongoing efforts to repeal or modify the laws. For example, President Trump issued an Executive Order 13765 (Minimizing the Economic Burden of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act Pending Repeal) on January 20, 2017 granting authority to certain executive departments and agencies to minimize the economic burden of the PPACA. However, President Biden revoked this Executive Order on January 28, 2021 (as part of President Biden’s Executive Order on Strengthening Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act) and directed heads of departments to “consider whether to suspend, revise, or rescind - and, as applicable, publish for notice and comment proposed rules suspending, revising, or rescinding” actions taken by the Trump Administration which may hinder the operation of the Health Reform Laws.

Nevertheless, the core tenets of the Health Reform Laws remain in effect with several exceptions. The individual mandate penalty was eliminated beginning in 2019 through the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017. In addition, on December 20, 2019, the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 was signed into law which repealed several provisions that were included in the Health Reform Laws to pay for the increased federal spending associated with the Health Reform Laws. Specifically, Congress: (i) repealed the Medical Device Excise Tax, which imposed a 2.3% excise tax on manufacturers, producers and importers of certain medical devices; (ii) repealed the health insurance tax, which applies to most fully insured plans, beginning in 2021; and (iii) repealed the so-called Cadillac Tax, which imposed an excise tax of 40% on premiums for employer-sponsored individuals and families that exceeded a certain minimum threshold. Prior to these changes Congress had passed a short-term spending bill as part of the Continuing Appropriations Act of 2018 that delayed the implementation of these provisions and eliminated the Independent Payment Advisory Board, which was a 15- member panel of healthcare experts created by the Health Reform Laws and tasked with making annual cost-cutting recommendations for Medicare if Medicare spending exceeded a specified growth rate.

The Health Reform Laws have also been the subject of litigation. In particular, in 2019, a collection of 20 state governors and state attorneys general (subsequently two states have dropped out) filed a lawsuit against the federal government in the Northern District of Texas seeking to enjoin the entire Health Reform Laws following the elimination of the individual mandate penalty. The District Court ruled that without the penalty the individual mandate was unconstitutional and further held that all other provisions of the Health Reform Laws should be overturned as well. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit affirmed the trial court’s decision; however, instead of deciding whether the rest of the PPACA must be struck down, the 5th Circuit sent the case back to the trial court for additional analysis. In March of 2020 the United States Supreme Court agreed to review the case and heard oral arguments on November 10, 2020. On June 17, 2021, the Supreme Court held that the plaintiffs lacked standing and reversed the Fifth Circuit’s judgment in respect to standing, vacated the Fifth Circuit’s judgment, and remanded the case with instructions to dismiss the case. Subsequently the Fifth Circuit vacated the judgement of the District Court in its entirety and remanded the case to the District Court with instructions to dismiss. The District Court finally dismissed the case on July 27, 2021.

In 2021 President Biden issued an Executive Order on Strengthening Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act, directing heads of departments to review and potentially revoke or revise these Trump-era actions. In light of the ongoing efforts to alter the Health Reform Laws, we are unable at this time to predict the full impact that potential changes will have on our business, including provisions in the Health Reform Laws related to Medicare payments, mechanisms to foster alternative payment and reimbursement methodologies focused on outcomes, quality and care coordination, Medicare enrollment and claims submission requirements and revisions to other federal healthcare laws such as the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, the Stark Law and the federal False Claims Act.

We anticipate, however, that federal and state governments will continue to review and assess alternative healthcare delivery systems and payment methodologies, and that public debate regarding these issues will continue in the future. Changes in the law or new interpretations of existing laws can have a substantial effect on permissible activities, the relative costs associated with doing business in the healthcare industry, and the amount of reimbursement available from government and other payors. Any repeal or modification of the Health Reform Laws may materially adversely impact our business, financial condition, results of operations, cash flow, capital resources and liquidity. In addition, the potential proposals for alternative legislation to replace the Health Reform Laws may have an adverse impact on our business.

Anti-Bribery and Corruption Laws

We are subject to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (“FCPA”). We are required to comply with the FCPA, which generally prohibits covered entities and their intermediaries from engaging in bribery or making other prohibited payments to foreign officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business or other benefits. In addition, the FCPA imposes accounting standards and requirements on publicly traded U.S. corporations and their foreign affiliates, which are intended to prevent the diversion of corporate funds to the payment of bribes and other improper payments, and to prevent the establishment of “off books” slush funds from which such improper payments can be made. We also are subject to similar anticorruption legislation implemented in Europe under the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions.

Human Capital Resources

As of December 31, 2022, we had 154 full-time employees and 9 part-time employees. None of our employees are represented by a union. We consider our relations with our employees to be good but we do have a Whistleblower Hotline setup for employees to confidentially report concerns. Of our current employees, approximately, seven are part of finance and accounting, seven are involved in senior management, 20 in sales and marketing, one in research, development and regulatory and 128 in operations.

We value the importance of retention, growth and development of our employees and we believe we offer competitive compensation (including salary, incentive bonus, and equity) and benefits packages. We traditionally will benchmark compensation with external sources to verify positions are paid in-line with the market. Our corporate culture is built on passion - we believe in the company’s vision of ridding the world of sleep apnea and hire employees who want to share that same passion. We hold annual company-wide trainings and host regularly scheduled management meetings where management communicates notable corporate developments to be disseminated to employees, as well as a periodic corporate all hands meetings. We hire new employees based on merit and qualifications for the job, regardless of ethnicity, race, gender, religion, sexual preference, or any other non-job related criteria. We thus have created both a diverse and highly skilled workforce. We will continue to promote a work environment that is based on the fundamental principles of human dignity, equality and mutual respect. In addition, we are committed to providing a safe and healthy work environment for all of our employees. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we encouraged employees to work closely with their personal physicians to determine whether or not to receive the vaccine, and we have followed the most current science with respect to the use of personal protective equipment such as masks, social distancing, etc. Many employees work remotely and when appropriate, we have limited travel as a result of the pandemic. We will continue to support our workforce during these unprecedented circumstances to ensure their safety and well-being.

Corporate History

Formation

We were originally organized on July 7, 2016 in Wyoming as Corrective BioTechnologies, Inc. On September 6, 2016, we changed our name from Corrective BioTechnologies, Inc. to Vivos BioTechnologies, Inc. On March 2, 2018, we changed our name from Vivos BioTechnologies, Inc. to Vivos Therapeutics, Inc. During our formation in 2016, we issued an aggregate of 933,334 shares of common stock to a group of our founders, including Summit Capital USA (now Upeva, Inc., 666,667 shares), Regal Capital Venture Partners LLC (166,667 shares) and Thomas P. Madden (100,000 shares) at a purchase price of $0.0003 per share (for an aggregate of $280 of proceeds).

Acquisition of BioModeling Solutions, Inc. and First Vivos, Inc.

In August and September 2016, we completed, by way of a share exchange, an agreement to acquire the business and operations of (1) BMS (now a wholly-owned subsidiary), which was engaged in the manufacture and sale of our patented DNA appliance^® and FDA cleared mRNA appliance^® (collectively with special proprietary treatment modalities that comprises The Vivos Method), and (2) First Vivos, Inc., a Texas corporation (“First Vivos”), which proposed to develop and operate a retail chain of Vivos Centers with specially trained dentists that offer The Vivos Method and corroborating physicians. In connection with the share exchange with BMS, we issued 3,333,334 shares of common stock to the shareholders of BMS (including, but not limited to, Dr. G. Dave Singh, our founder and former Chief Medical Officer and director, who received 3,219,705 shares) in exchange for 12,423,500 shares of BMS, which constitutes 100% ownership interest in BMS. In connection with the share exchange with First Vivos, we issued 3,333,334 shares of common stock to the shareholders of First Vivos (including, but not limited to, R. Kirk Huntsman, our co-founder, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, who received 1,833,334 shares) in exchange for 5,000 shares of First Vivos, which constitutes 100% ownership interest in First Vivos.

The transaction was accounted for as a reverse acquisition and recapitalization, with BMS as the acquirer for financial reporting and accounting purposes. Upon the consummation of the acquisition, the historical financial statements of BMS became our historical financial statements and continued to be recorded at their historical carrying amounts.

Adoption of Stock and Option Award Plan

On April 18, 2019, our stockholders approved the adoption of a stock and option award plan (the “2019 Plan”), under which 333,334 shares were reserved for future issuance for options, restricted stock awards and other equity awards. On June 18, 2020, our stockholders approved an amendment and restatement of the 2019 Plan to increase the number shares or our common stock available for issuance thereunder by 833,333 share of common stock such that, after amendment and restatement of the 2019 Plan, 1,166,667 shares of common stock will be available for issuance under the 2019 Plan. The 2019 Plan permits grants of equity awards to employees, directors, consultants and other independent contractors.

Approval of Transfer of Corporate Domicile and Reverse Stock Split

On April 18, 2019, our stockholders voted to authorize our Board of Directors to recapitalize our common stock by way of reverse stock split at a ratio of up to one for three. In addition, on such date, our shareholders also authorized our Board of Directors to transfer our corporate domicile from Wyoming to another U.S. state. Our Board of Directors elected not to implement the reverse stock split transfer of corporate domicile at that time.

Effective August 12, 2020, we transferred our corporate domicile and became a Delaware corporation pursuant to Section 17-16-1720 of the Wyoming Business Corporation Act and Section 265 of the Delaware General Corporation Law. As a result of the transfer of corporate domicile, each share of capital stock of Vivos Wyoming became a share of capital stock of Vivos Delaware on a one-to-one basis, and such shares shall carry the same terms in all material respects as the shares of Vivos Wyoming. The transfer of corporate domicile has heretofore been approved by the Board of Directors and majority shareholders of Vivos Wyoming.

On July 30, 2020, prior to the transfer of our corporate domicile from Wyoming to Delaware, Vivos Wyoming we implemented a one-for-three reverse stock split of our outstanding common stock pursuant to which holders of Vivos Wyoming’s outstanding common stock received one share of common stock for every three shares of common stock held. Unless the context expressly dictates otherwise, all references to share and per share amounts referred to in this Annual Report reflect the reverse stock split.

Segment Information

We manage our business within one reportable segment. Segment information is consistent with how management reviews our business, makes investing and resource allocation decisions, and assesses our operating performance.

Corporate Information

Our principal offices are located at 7921 Southpark Plaza, Suite 210, Littleton, Colorado 80120, and our telephone number is (866) 908-4867. Our website is www.vivos.com. Our website and the information on or that can be accessed through such website are not part of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Available Information

We maintain a website at www.vivos.com. You may access our annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13(a) or 15(d) of the Exchange Act with the SEC free of charge at our website as soon as reasonably practicable after such material is electronically filed with, or furnished to, the SEC. The reference to our website address does not constitute incorporation by reference of the information contained on our website, and you should not consider the contents of our website in making an investment decision with respect to our common stock.

Item 1A. Risk Factors.

Investing in our common stock is highly speculative and involves a significant degree of risk. Before you invest in our securities, you should give careful consideration to the following risk factors, in addition to the other information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including our financial statements and related notes, before deciding whether to invest in our securities. The occurrence of any of the adverse developments described in the following risk factors could materially and adversely harm our business, financial condition, results of operations or prospects. In that case, the trading price of our common stock could decline, and you may lose all or part of your investment.

Risks Related to Our Business and Industry

Our business has a limited operating history, and we continue to refine our business model, which makes it difficult to evaluate our past performance and future prospects. Moreover, we have recently made significant strategic, operational and staffing changes to our business, and it is impossible to know how or if such changes will affect future revenue and earnings.

Our business was formed only in 2016, and therefore there is limited historical data on which to evaluate our company. This is particularly true because our current VIP-focused business model only commenced in mid-2018. In addition, since the roll out of our VIP-focused business model, we have continued to refine our strategies, for example by experimenting with different VIP enrollment and subscription plans and by adding strategic offerings like OMT. Therefore, there is limited and evolving or differing historical operating data on which to evaluate the results of and prospects for our current business model.

We have a history of operating losses and may never achieve cash flow positive or profitable results of operations.

Since our inception, we have not been profitable and have incurred significant losses and cash flow deficits. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had an accumulated deficit of approximately $79.5 million and ended the period with approximately $3.5 million in cash assets. For the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, the Company incurred a net loss of approximately $23.8 and $20.3 million, respectively. Net cash used in operating activities amounted to approximately $19.6 million and $15.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively. As of December 31, 2022, the Company had total liabilities of approximately $8.9 million. We anticipate that we will continue to report losses and negative cash flow until we can substantially increase our revenues, which we may be unable to do. There is therefore a risk that we will be unable to operate our business in a manner that generate positive cash flow or profit, and our failure to increase our revenues, generate positive cash flow and operate our business profitably would damage our reputation and stock price.

Our VIP program is a relatively new business model for us, and management has limited experience operating this model.

Our VIP program is a relatively new business model for us, and members of our management team have only a few years of experience in operating our company through this model. As a result, our historical financial results may not be comparable to future results. Also, we are subject to many risks associated with the VIP business model, some of which we have faced and some which we may be unable to presently identify, such as risks associated pricing, competition, marketing and regulatory matters. Moreover, our ability to onboard new VIPs may be impeded by the investments VIPs must make in adapting their practices to the use of The Vivos Method. We cannot assure you that management will be able to recruit and adopt new VIPs. Any such failure may have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We will need to raise additional capital to fund and grow our business. Such funding, even if obtained, could result in substantial dilution or significant debt service obligations. We may not be able to obtain additional capital on commercially reasonable terms in a timely manner or at all, which could adversely affect our liquidity, financial position, and ability to continue operations.

In order to fund and grow our business, we will need to obtain additional financing, either through borrowings, private offerings, public offerings, or some type of business combination, such as a merger, or buyout, and there can be no assurance that we will be successful in such pursuits. We may be unable to acquire the additional funding necessary to fund our growth or to continue operating. Accordingly, if we are unable to generate adequate cash from operations, and if we are unable to find sources of funding, it may be necessary for us to sell one or more lines of business or all or a portion of our assets, enter into a business combination, or reduce or eliminate operations. Any of these possibilities, to the extent available, may be on terms that result in significant dilution to our shareholders or that result in our investors losing all of their investment in our company.

Even if we are able to raise additional capital, we do not know what the terms of any such capital raising would be. In addition, any future sale of our equity securities would dilute the ownership and control of your shares and could be at prices substantially below prices at which our shares currently trade. Our inability to raise capital, coupled with our inability to generate adequate cash from operations, could require us to significantly curtail or terminate our operations. We may seek to increase our cash reserves through the sale of additional equity or debt securities. The sale of convertible debt securities or additional equity securities could result in additional and potentially substantial dilution to our shareholders. The incurrence of indebtedness would result in increased debt service obligations and could result in operating and financing covenants that would restrict our operations and liquidity and ability to pay dividends. In addition, our ability to obtain additional capital on acceptable terms is subject to a variety of uncertainties. We cannot assure you that financing will be available in amounts or on terms acceptable to us, if at all. Any failure to raise additional funds on favorable terms could have a material adverse effect on our liquidity and financial condition.

Additionally, during 2022, we actively began a process of reducing staff, eliminating or renegotiating certain vendor contracts, strategically reorganizing our business and revamping our business model. Further such steps, or even more, may be required before management is satisfied that we are positioned to succeed or even survive, and there is a risk that we will be unable to implement cost cutting programs effectively.

We have identified material weaknesses in our internal control over financial reporting.

In connection with the audit of our consolidated financial statements for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, we and our independent registered public accounting firm identified a material weakness in our internal control over financial reporting. A material weakness is a deficiency, or a combination of deficiencies, within the meaning of PCAOB Auditing Standard AS 2201, in internal control over financial reporting, such that there is a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement of our annual or interim financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis. For the year ended December 31, 2021, our material weakness related to the operating effectiveness of our review controls. Specifically, we did not put the appropriate resources in place to be able to identify technical accounting issues and perform review functions appropriately. Material errors were also identified in our analysis and review of our VIP contracts for applicable factors to meet the definition of a contract under ASC 606 Contracts with Customers, step 1, and our evaluation of our note receivable with respect to our former Orem dental clinic for impairment in accordance with ASC 310 Receivables.

Furthermore, in 2022 we did not put the appropriate resources in place to be able to identify technical accounting issues and perform review functions appropriately related to revenue recognition. Material errors were identified in our ability to determine that its existing revenue recognition policy was consistent with the guidance in ASC 606. After analyzing contracts using the five-step process in ASC 606, we have determined that for both VIP enrollment contracts and Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy (MyoCorrect), modifications to our revenue recognition policies were required in order to identify the performance obligations and recognize the revenue as the performance obligations are satisfied or over the customer life as applicable.

Additionally, we did not put the appropriate resources in place to be able to identify technical accounting issues and perform review functions appropriately. As a consequence, we did not effectively design, implement, and operate process-level control activities related to order-to-cash (including revenue, trade receivables, allowance for doubtful accounts, deferred revenue, and bad debt expense), procure-to-pay (including prepaid expenses), hire-to-pay (including compensation expense), and leases. These control deficiencies resulted in immaterial misstatements, some of which were corrected, in the consolidated financial statements as of and for the year ended December 31, 2022. These control deficiencies, aggregated, create a reasonable possibility that a material misstatement to the consolidated financial statements will not be prevented or detected on a timely basis.

In summary, as of December 31, 2022 we identified material weaknesses related to the operating effectiveness of our review controls in that we did not put the appropriate resources in place to be able to identify and account for technical accounting issues and perform review functions appropriately.

If we are unable to remedy these or similar material weakness that may arise in the future, or if we generally fail to establish and maintain effective internal controls appropriate for a public company, we may be unable to produce timely and accurate financial statements, and we may continue to conclude that our internal control over financial reporting is not effective, which could adversely impact our investors’ confidence and our stock price. Delays in filing our periodic reports have led and could in the future lead to the loss of our ability to use certain “short form” registration statements (including “shelf” registration statements used for more efficient fundraising).

We expect to derive a substantial portion of our prospective future revenue from sales of our appliances and treatments, which leaves us reliant on the commercial viability of The Vivos Method.

Currently, our primary product is The Vivos Method, inclusive of MyoCorrect, our SleepImage^® HST, and our multidisciplinary protocols for adjunctive therapy. Our secondary source of revenue is our clinical training and practice support programs, including Billing Intelligence Services, Airway Intelligence System and AireO². We expect that sales of the component aspects of The Vivos Method and our services to our VIPs related to the use of such treatments will account for a significant majority of our prospective revenue for the foreseeable future. We currently market and sell our appliances (which are central to The Vivos Method) primarily in the United States and Canada, with a very limited presence in Australia. The Vivos Method is different from current surgical and non-surgical treatments dentofacial abnormalities and/or mild to moderate OSA and snoring, therefore we cannot assure you that dentists in corroboration with physicians will use The Vivos Method or become VIPs, and demand for The Vivos Method may decline or may not increase as quickly as we expect. Also, we cannot assure you that The Vivos Method will compete effectively as a treatment alternative to other more well-known and well-established therapies, such as CPAP, mandibular advancement, or palatal surgical procedures. Since The Vivos Method currently represents our primary product, and since our VIP program is our primary means of commercialization, we are significantly reliant on the level of recurring sales of The Vivos Method treatment and decreased or lower than expected sales or recruitment and integration of new VIPs would cause us to lose all or substantially all of our revenue.

A material portion of our future revenue is expected to derive from sales and enrollments of new dentists into our Vivos Integrated Practice (VIP) program, including dentists who are part of a Dental Service Organization (DSO) which leaves us reliant on the willingness of dentists and/or DSO groups to continue to enroll.

We believe that The Vivos Method is the first commercially available treatment based on our proprietary technology for the treatment of dentofacial abnormalities and/or mild to moderate OSA. Our success depends both on the sufficient acceptance and adoption by the medical/dental community of The Vivos Method as a non-invasive treatment for the treatment of dentofacial abnormalities and/or mild to moderate OSA. Currently, a relatively limited number of dentists and other medical clinicians provide treatment with The Vivos Method. We cannot predict how quickly, if at all, the medical/dental community will accept The Vivos Method, or, if accepted, the extent of its use. For us to be successful:

In reference to the treatment of mild to moderate OSA and snoring, studies have shown that a significant percentage of people who have OSA remain undiagnosed and therefore do not seek treatment. Many of those patients who are diagnosed with OSA may be reluctant to seek treatment because of the significant costs of treatment given the less severe nature of their condition, the potentially negative lifestyle effects of traditional treatments, and the lack of awareness of new treatment options. If we are unable to increase public awareness of the prevalence of OSA or if the medical/dental community is slow to adopt or fails to adopt The Vivos Method as a treatment for their patients, we would suffer a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

The failure of large U.S. customers or Dental Service Organizations (DSO) to pay for their purchases of The Vivos Method products and services on a timely basis could reduce our future sales revenue and negatively impact our liquidity.

The timing and extent of our future growth in sales revenue depends, in part, on our ability to continue to increase the number of U.S. dentists using The Vivos Method, as well as expanding the number of The Vivos Method treatments used by these physicians/dentists. To the extent one or more of our large U.S. dentist customers or DSO groups fails to pay us on a timely basis, we may be required to discontinue selling to these organizations and find new customers, which could reduce our future sales revenue and negatively impact our liquidity.

We face risks relating to public health conditions such as the COVID-19 pandemic, which could adversely affect our dentist customers, our business and our results of operations.

Our business and prospects have been and could continue to be materially adversely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic or recurrences of COVID-19 (such as has occurred in the fall of 2020 and into 2021 and the first half of 2022) or any other similar diseases in the future. Material adverse effects from COVID-19 and similar diseases could result in numerous known and currently unknown ways including from quarantines and lockdowns which impair our marketing and sales efforts to dentists or other medical professionals. During the COVID-19 pandemic, dental offices throughout the U.S. and Canada shut down for extended periods of time (and may be shut down again due to government mandates or lockdowns), thus negatively impacting our product revenues. Such dental practice closures disrupted and dislodged significant portions of the dental workforce, including many hygienists who decided to quit or retire. Such disruptions to dental practices has had a negative and ongoing impact on our VIP offices’ ability to educate and inform patients about their OSA and The Vivos Method. The pandemic and reactions to the pandemic or future outbreaks of COVID-19 and variants of COVID-19 could also impair the timing of obtaining necessary consents and approvals from the FDA, as its employees could also be under such quarantines and lockdowns and their time could be mandatorily required to be allocated to more immediate global and domestic concerns relating to COVID-19. In addition, we purchase materials for our products from suppliers located in affected areas, and we may not be able to procure required components or secure manufacturing capability. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have also placed travel restrictions on us and our VIPs, as well as temporary closures of the facilities of our suppliers and our VIPs as non-essential medical and dental procedures have been limited, which could also adversely impact our business. In addition, a significant outbreak of contagious diseases in the human population could result in a widespread health crisis that could adversely affect the economies and financial markets of many countries, resulting in an economic downturn that could reduce the demand for our products and impair our business prospects including as a result of being unable to raise additional capital on acceptable terms to us, if at all.

We may not be able to successfully implement our growth strategy for our VIPs on a timely basis or at all, which could harm our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

The growth of our VIP base depends on our ability to execute our plan to recruit and enroll new VIPs. Our ability to recruit and enroll VIPs depends on many factors, including our ability to:

Further, applicable laws, rules and regulations (including licensure requirements) could negatively impact our ability to recruit and enroll VIPs.

Accordingly, we may not be able to achieve our planned growth or, even if we are able to grow our VIP base as planned, any new VIPs may not be profitable or otherwise perform as planned. Failure to successfully implement our growth strategy would likely have an adverse impact on our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

The long-term success of our VIP program is highly dependent on our ability to successfully identify, recruit and enroll target independent dental practices as well as to convince other medical professionals to participate in the treatment of OSA with our products and services.

To achieve our growth strategy, we will need to identify, recruit, and enroll new VIPs and have them operate on a profitable and recurring basis. We consider numerous factors in identifying target markets where we can enter or expand. The number and timing of new VIPs enrolled during any given period may be negatively impacted by several factors including, without limitation:

If we are unable to find and onboard attractive VIPs in existing markets or new markets, our revenue and profitability may be harmed, we may not be able to implement our growth strategy and our financial results may be negatively affected.

Moreover, we have begun to expand marketing and related efforts to medical professional beyond the dentistry community. We may be unable to convince medical sleep specialists, cardiologists, pediatric sleep specialists, chiropractors, nutritionists and other professionals of the benefits of The Vivos Method specifically and a multidisciplinary approach to treating OSA in general. Our inability to implementing.

Our future operating results are difficult to predict and may vary significantly from quarter to quarter, which may adversely affect the price of our common stock.

Our limited history of sales of The Vivos Method and VIP enrollments and subscriptions, together with our history of losses, make prediction of future operating results difficult. You should not rely on our past revenue growth as any indication of future growth rates or operating results. Our valuation and the price of our securities likely will fall in the event our operating results (notably our revenue growth, with the goal of achieving cash flow positive and profitable operations) do not meet the expectations of analysts and investors. Comparisons of our quarterly operating results are an unreliable indication of our future performance because they are likely to vary significantly based on many factors, including:

Therefore, you should expect that our results of operations will be difficult to predict, which will make an investment in our company uncertain.

Our MID program may not perform as anticipated or may take longer than expected to gain acceptance.

Begun only in 2020, our MID is a new business offering for us, and the model is yet unproven. As a result, actual results may be lower than expected due to lower than expected referrals and other factors. Also, we are subject to many risks associated with this new business model that we are unable to presently identify, such as pricing, competition, marketing and regulatory risks. If we fail to adequately identify and respond to such risks in a timely manner, our financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

The SleepImage^® home sleep test used in our VivoScore Program is a relatively new technology which may not be utilized by VIPs to the degree anticipated.

The SleepImage^® HST used in our VivoScore Program is a relatively new technology which could take longer to gain acceptance within the medical and dental communities. If medical and dental care providers do not utilize this new technology, or if the test is not as effective as anticipated, the financial results from the program may be lower than currently expected. Also, we are subject to many risks associated with this new technology that we are unable to presently identify, such as pricing, competition, marketing and regulatory risks. If we fail to adequately identify and respond to such risks in a timely manner, on our business, financial condition and results of operations could be adversely affected.

Moreover, the design and implementation of our VivoScore Program is new, as the current program arose following our renegotiated agreement with MyCardio LLC in early 2022. Therefore, we face the risks associated with establishing a new revenue center as the VivoScore Program itself (under which we lease the SleepImage^® ring recorder to dentists) may not attract a following sufficient to make the program a successful revenue generator for us.

We may not be able to respond in a timely and cost-effective manner to changes in consumer preferences.

The Vivos Method is subject to changing consumer preferences. A shift in consumer preferences away from the protocol and products we offer would result in significantly reduced revenue. Our future success depends in part on our ability to anticipate and respond to changes in consumer preferences. Failure to anticipate and respond to changing consumer preferences in the products we market could lead to, among other things, lower sales of products, significant markdowns or write-offs of inventory, increased product returns and lower margins. If we are not successful in anticipating and responding to changes in consumer preferences, our results of operations in future periods will be materially adversely impacted.

Further clinical studies of our products comprising The Vivos Method may adversely impact our ability to generate revenue if they do not demonstrate that The Vivos Method is clinically effective.

We have conducted, and continue to conduct, a number of clinical studies of the use of The Vivos Method to treat patients with dentofacial abnormalities and/or mild to moderate OSA in the United States and Canada. We are involved in a number of ongoing clinical studies evaluating clinical outcomes from the use of The Vivos Method including prospective, randomized, placebo-controlled studies, as well as clinical studies that are structured to obtain additional clearances from the FDA for expanded clinical indications for use of The Vivos Method.

We cannot assure you that these clinical studies will continue to demonstrate that The Vivos Method provides clinical effectiveness for individuals with dentofacial abnormalities and patients diagnosed with mild to moderate OSA, nor can we assure you that the use of The Vivos Method will prove to be safe and effective in clinical studies under United States or international regulatory guidelines for any expanded indications. Additional clinical studies of The Vivos Method may identify significant clinical, technical or other obstacles that will have to be overcome prior to obtaining clearance from the applicable regulatory bodies to market The Vivos Method for such expanded indications. If further studies of The Vivos Method indicate that it is not a safe and effective, our ability to market The Vivos Method, and generate substantial revenue from additional sales, may be materially limited.

Individuals selected to participate in these further clinical studies must meet certain anatomical and other criteria to participate. We cannot assure you that an adequate number of individuals can be enrolled in clinical studies on a timely basis. Further, we cannot assure you that the clinical studies will be completed as planned. A delay in the analysis and publication of the positive outcomes data from these clinical studies, or the presentation or publication of negative outcomes data from these clinical studies, including data related to approval of The Vivos Method for expanded indications, may materially impact our ability to increase revenue through sales and negatively impact our stock price.

Our business and results of operations may be impacted by the extent to which patients using The Vivos Method achieve adequate levels of third-party insurance reimbursement.

Whenever practical, The Vivos Method is paid for primarily out-of-pocket by patients, with any available health insurance coverage being reimbursed if and as paid at a later date, where the patient is being treated for dentofacial abnormalities and/or mild to moderate OSA.

The cost of treatments for dentofacial abnormalities and/or mild to moderate OSA, such as CPAP, and most surgical procedures generally are covered and reimbursed in whole or part by third-party healthcare insurers. The Vivos Method is a customized protocol often combined with custom oral appliance therapy, some of which currently qualify for reimbursement. Our ability to generate revenue from additional sales of The Vivos Method for the treatment of dentofacial abnormalities and/or mild to moderate OSA may be materially limited by the extent to which reimbursement of The Vivos Method is available in the future. In addition, third-party healthcare insurers are increasingly challenging the prices charged for medical products and procedures. If we are successful in our efforts to obtain reimbursement for the billable procedures within The Vivos Method, any changes in this reimbursement system could materially affect our ability to continue to grow our business.

Reimbursement and healthcare payment systems in international markets vary significantly by country and reimbursement for the billable procedures within The Vivos Method may not be available at all under either government or private reimbursement systems. If we are unable to achieve reimbursement approvals in international markets, it could have a negative impact on market acceptance of The Vivos Method and potential revenue growth in the markets in which these approvals are sought.

In an effort to help expand in-network insurance coverage for The Vivos Method, in December 2022, we announced a collaboration with Nexus which effectively combines our proprietary out-of-network Billing Intelligence Service with the Nexus’ in-network medical billing platform. The goal is to provide both companies’ medical professional networks with greater access to both in or out-of-network billing with all major medical insurance companies, facilitating case acceptances, insurance billing procedures and reimbursement. However, our collaboration with Nexus may not achieve the result of expanding insurance coverage for The Vivos Method, which in turn could have an adverse effect on our results of operations (particularly if our outlay of resources in connection with the Nexus collaboration exceed the revenues, if any, generated).

Our products and third-party contract manufacturing activities are subject to extensive governmental regulation that could prevent us from selling our appliances or introducing new and/or improved products in the United States or internationally.

Our products and third-party contract manufacturing activities are subject to extensive regulation by several governmental agencies, including the FDA and comparable international regulatory bodies. We are required to:

Compliance with the rules and regulations of these various regulatory bodies have created regulatory challenges for us in the past and may delay or prevent us from introducing any new models of The Vivos Method or other new products. In addition, government regulations may be adopted that could prevent, delay, modify or rescind regulatory clearance or approval of our products.

Our contract manufacturing labs are further required to demonstrate compliance with the FDA’s quality system regulations. The FDA enforce their quality system regulations through pre-approval and periodic post-approval inspections by representatives from the FDA. These regulations relate to product testing, vendor qualification, design control and quality assurance, as well as the maintenance of records and documentation. If we fail to conform to these regulations, the FDA may take actions that could seriously harm our business. These actions include sanctions, including temporary or permanent suspension of our operations, product recalls and marketing restrictions. A recall or other regulatory action could substantially increase our costs, damage our reputation and materially affect our operating results.

Our products are currently not recommended by most medical sleep specialists, who are integral to the diagnosis and treatment of sleep breathing disorders.

The majority of patients being treated today for OSA, domestically and internationally, are initially referred to pulmonologists or other sleep specialists by their primary care physicians. Pulmonologists or other sleep specialists typically administer a polysomnogram, or overnight sleep study, to diagnose the presence and severity of OSA. If an individual is diagnosed with OSA by a qualified medical doctor, CPAP is typically prescribed as the therapy of choice. Although we offer The Vivos Method through our VIPs, our domestic sales organization does not generally call on sleep specialists or third-party sleep centers to sell The Vivos Method, and we do not believe that most qualified sleep specialists today would recommend The Vivos Method to their patients with mild to moderate OSA. We cannot predict the extent to which medical doctors will, in the future, endorse or recommend our protocol to their patients, even for those who are unwilling or unable to comply with other alternative therapies.

We face significant competition in the rapidly changing market for treating mild to moderate OSA and snoring in adults, and we may be unable to manage or respond to competitive pressures.

The market for treating mild to moderate OSA and snoring in adults, is highly competitive and evolving rapidly. According to the American Sleep Apnea Association, over 100 different oral appliances are FDA cleared for the treatment of snoring and mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea. The Vivos Method must compete with more established products, treatments and surgical procedures, which may limit our growth and negatively affect our business. Many of our competitors have an established presence in the field and have established relationships with pulmonologists, sleep clinics and ear, nose and throat specialists, which play a significant role in determining which product, treatment or procedure is recommended to the patient. We believe certain of our competitors are attempting to develop innovative approaches and new products for diagnosing and treating OSA and other sleep related breathing disorder conditions. We cannot predict the extent to which ENTs, oral maxillofacial surgeons, primary care physicians or pulmonologists would or will recommend The Vivos Method over new or other established devices, treatments or procedures.

Moreover, we are in the early stages of implementing our business plan and have limited resources with which to market, develop and sell The Vivos Method. Many of our competitors have substantially greater financial and other resources than we do, including larger research and development staffs who have more experience and capability in conducting research and development activities, testing products in clinical trials, obtaining regulatory approvals and manufacturing, marketing, selling, and distributing products. Some of our competitors may achieve patent protection, regulatory approval, or product commercialization more quickly than we do, which may decrease our ability to compete. If we are unable to be competitive in the market for OSA, our revenue will decline, which would negatively affect our results of operations.

The Vivos Method may become obsolete if we are unable to anticipate and adapt to rapidly changing technology.

The medical device industry is subject to rapid technological innovation and, consequently, the life cycle of any particular product can be short. Alternative products, procedures or other discoveries and developments to treat dentofacial abnormalities and/or OSA may render The Vivos Method obsolete. Furthermore, the greater financial and other resources of many of our competitors may permit them to respond more rapidly than we can to technological advances. If we fail to develop new technologies, products, or procedures to upgrade or improve our existing treatments to respond to a changing market before our competitors are able to do so, our ability to market our products and protocol and generate substantial revenue may be limited.

Our international sales are subject to a number of risks that could seriously harm our ability to successfully commercialize The Vivos Method in international markets.

We do not have significant international sales outside of Canada, although we hope to more broadly introduce The Vivos Method into international markets. Our ability to generate international sales is subject to several risks, including:

The occurrence of any of these events could seriously harm our future international sales and our ability to successfully commercialize our products in international markets, thereby limiting our growth and revenue.

We depend on a few suppliers for key components, making us vulnerable to supply shortages and price fluctuation.

We purchase components for The Vivos Method from a variety of vendors on a purchase order basis; we have no long-term supply contracts with any of our vendors. While it is our goal to have multiple sources to procure certain key components, in some cases it is not economically practical or feasible to do so. To mitigate this risk, we maintain an awareness of alternate supply sources that could provide our currently single-sourced components with minimal or no modification to the current version of The Vivos Method, practice supply chain management, maintain safety stocks of critical components and have arrangements with our key vendors to manage the availability of critical components. Despite these efforts, if our vendors are unable to provide us with an adequate supply of components in a timely manner, or if we are unable to locate qualified alternate vendors for components at a reasonable cost, the cost of our products would increase, the availability of our products to our customers would decrease and our ability to generate revenue could be materially limited.

There are risks associated with outsourced production that may hurt our results of operations.

We outsource the manufacture of substantially all our products to third-party manufacturers on a case-by-case basis. By law, the selection of the manufacturer is at the sole discretion of the treating dentist. However, we select our approved and certified manufacturers by training and screening them in advance based on their capabilities, supply capacity, reputation, regulatory registration and compliance, and other relevant traits. Most of these manufacturers are located in the U.S., but at least one important manufacturer is located in South Korea, and other smaller manufacturers are located in Canada. In any case, the possibility of delivery delays, product defects, import or customs blockages, and other production-side risks stemming from outsourcers creates the risk that our expenses associated with these issues could unexpectedly increase in any period. In addition, inadequate production capacity among outsourced manufacturers could result in our being unable to supply enough product amid periods of high product demand, the opportunity costs of which could be substantial. All of these risks could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

We do not have any long-term contracts with manufacturers, suppliers or other service providers for our products. Our business would be harmed if manufacturers and service providers are unable to deliver products or provide services in a timely and cost-effective manner, or if we are unable to timely fulfill orders.

We do not have any long-term contracts with contract manufacturers, suppliers or other service providers for our products. We do not anticipate that this will change. As a result, if any manufacturer or supplier is unable, either temporarily or permanently, to manufacture or deliver products or provide services to us in a timely and cost-effective manner, it could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations. Our ability to provide effective customer service and efficiently fulfill orders for merchandise depends, to a large degree, on the efficient and uninterrupted operation of the manufacturing and related call centers, distribution centers, and management information systems, some of which are run by third parties. Any material disruption or slowdown in manufacturing, order processing or fulfillment systems resulting from strikes or labor disputes, telephone down times, electrical outages, mechanical problems, human error or accidents, fire, natural disasters, adverse weather conditions or comparable events could cause delays in our ability to receive and fulfill orders and may cause orders to be lost or to be shipped or delivered late. As a result, these disruptions could adversely affect our financial condition or results of operations in future periods.

We depend on our patents and proprietary technology, which we may not be able to protect.

Our success depends, in part, on our ability to obtain and maintain patent protection for The Vivos Method components and the confidentiality of proprietary clinical treatments. Our success further depends on our ability to obtain and maintain trademark protection for our name and mark; to preserve our trade secrets and know-how; and to operate without infringing the intellectual property rights of others.

We cannot assure investors that we will continue to innovate and file new patent applications, or that if filed any future patent applications will result in granted patents We cannot assure you that any of our patents pending will result in issued patents, that any current or future patents will not be challenged, invalidated or circumvented, that the scope of any of our patents will exclude competitors or that the patent rights granted to us will provide us any competitive advantage or protect our products. The patent position of device companies, including ours, is generally uncertain and involves complex legal and factual considerations and, therefore, validity and enforceability cannot be predicted with certainty. Patents may be challenged, deemed unenforceable, invalidated or circumvented. We will be able to protect our proprietary rights from unauthorized use by third parties only to the extent that our proprietary technologies, treatments and any future products are covered by valid and enforceable patents or are effectively maintained as trade secrets.

Any patents we have obtained or do obtain may be challenged by re-examination or otherwise invalidated or eventually found unenforceable. Both the patent application process and the process of managing patent disputes can be time consuming and expensive. If we were to initiate legal proceedings against a third party to enforce a patent related to one of our products, the defendant in such litigation could counterclaim that our patent is invalid and/or unenforceable. In patent litigation in the U.S., defendant counterclaims alleging invalidity and/or unenforceability are commonplace, as are validity challenges by the defendant against the subject patent or other patents before the United States Patent and Trademark Office (or USPTO). Grounds for a validity challenge could be an alleged failure to meet any of several statutory requirements, including lack of novelty, obviousness or non-enablement, failure to meet the written description requirement, indefiniteness, and/or failure to claim patent eligible subject matter. Grounds for an unenforceability assertion could be an allegation that someone connected with prosecution of the patent intentionally withheld material information from the USPTO, or made a misleading statement, during prosecution. Additional grounds for an unenforceability assertion include an allegation of misuse or anticompetitive use of patent rights, and an allegation of incorrect inventorship with deceptive intent. Third parties may also raise similar claims before the USPTO even outside the context of litigation. The outcome is unpredictable following legal assertions of invalidity and unenforceability. With respect to the validity question, for example, we cannot be certain that no invalidating prior art existed of which we and the patent examiner were unaware during prosecution. These assertions may also be based on information known to us or the USPTO. If a defendant or third party were to prevail on a legal assertion of invalidity and/or unenforceability, we would lose at least part, and perhaps all, of the claims of the challenged patent. Such a loss of patent protection would or could have a material adverse impact on our business.

The standards that the USPTO (and foreign equivalents) use to grant patents are not always applied predictably or uniformly and can change. There is also no uniform, worldwide policy regarding the subject matter and scope of claims granted or allowable in device patents. Accordingly, we do not know the degree of future protection for our proprietary rights or the breadth of claims that will be allowed in any patents issued to us or to others.

However, there can be no assurance that our technology will not be found in the future to infringe upon the rights of others or be infringed upon by others. Moreover, patent applications are in some cases maintained in secrecy until patents are issued. The publication of discoveries in the scientific or patent literature frequently occurs substantially later than the date on which the underlying discoveries were made and patent applications were filed. Because patents can take many years to issue, there may be currently pending applications of which we are unaware that may later result in issued patents that our products or product candidates infringe. For example, pending applications may exist that provide support or can be amended to provide support for a claim that results in an issued patent that our product infringes. In such a case, others may assert infringement claims against us, and should we be found to infringe upon their patents, or otherwise impermissibly utilize their intellectual property, we might be forced to pay damages, potentially including treble damages, if we are found to have willfully infringed on such parties’ patent rights. In addition to any damages we might have to pay, we may be required to obtain licenses from the holders of this intellectual property. We may fail to obtain any of these licenses or intellectual property rights on commercially reasonable terms. Even if we are able to obtain a license, it may be non-exclusive, thereby giving our competitors access to the same technologies licensed to us. In that event, we may be required to expend significant time and resources to develop or license replacement technology. If we are unable to do so, we may be unable to develop or commercialize the affected products, which could materially harm our business and the third parties owning such intellectual property rights could seek either an injunction prohibiting our sales, or, with respect to our sales, an obligation on our part to pay royalties and/or other forms of compensation. Conversely, we may not always be able to successfully pursue our claims against others that infringe upon our technology. Thus, the proprietary nature of our technology or technology licensed by us may not provide adequate protection against competitors.

In addition to patents, we rely on trademarks to protect the recognition of our company and product in the marketplace. We also rely on trade secrets, know-how, and proprietary knowledge that we seek to protect, in part, through confidentiality agreements with employees, consultants and others. We cannot assure you that our proprietary information will not be shared, our confidentiality agreements will not be breached, that we will have adequate remedies for any breach, or that our trade secrets will not otherwise become known to or independently developed by competitors.

Confidentiality agreements with employees and others may not adequately prevent disclosure of trade secrets and other proprietary information and disclosure of our trade secrets or proprietary information could compromise any competitive advantage that we have, which could have a materially adverse effect on our business.

Our success depends, in part, on our ability to protect our proprietary rights to the technologies used in our products and our proprietary clinical treatments. We depend heavily upon confidentiality agreements with our officers, employees, consultants and subcontractors to maintain the proprietary nature of our technology and our proprietary clinical treatments. These measures may not afford us complete or even sufficient protection, and may not afford an adequate remedy in the event of an unauthorized disclosure of confidential information. If we fail to protect and/or maintain our intellectual property, third parties may be able to compete more effectively against us, we may lose our technological or competitive advantage, and/or we may incur substantial litigation costs in our attempts to recover or restrict use of our intellectual property. In addition, others may independently develop technology similar to ours, otherwise avoiding the confidentiality agreements, or produce patents that would materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, financial condition and results of operations in which event and you could lose all of your investment.

The United States Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has recently put forward a new policy proposal, currently undergoing public comment and review, that if implemented in its current form, would ban the enforcement of restrictive covenant agreements for employees, thereby making it almost impossible for us to protect our trade secrets and know-how. In that event, we would likely experience a loss of control and confidentiality over our core intellectual property, with unknown consequences.

We may face intellectual property infringement claims that would be costly to resolve.

There has been substantial litigation regarding patent and other intellectual property rights in the medical device industry, and our competitors and others may initiate intellectual property litigation, including as a means of competition. Intellectual property litigation is complex and expensive, and outcomes are difficult to predict. We cannot assure you that we will not become subject to patent infringement claims or litigation, or interference proceedings, to determine the priority of inventions. Litigation or regulatory proceedings also may be necessary to enforce our patent or other intellectual property rights. We may not always have the financial resources to assert patent infringement suits or to defend ourselves from claims. An adverse result in any litigation could subject us to liabilities, or require us to seek licenses from or pay royalties to others that may be substantial. Furthermore, we cannot predict the extent to which the necessary licenses would be available to us on satisfactory terms, if at all.

Our failure to secure trademark registrations could adversely affect our ability to market our products and operate our business.

Our trademark applications in the United States and any other jurisdictions where we may file may not be allowed registration, and we may not be able to maintain or enforce our registered trademarks. During trademark registration proceedings, we may receive rejections. Although we are given an opportunity to respond to those rejections, we may be unable to overcome such rejections. In addition, in the USPTO and in corresponding foreign agencies, third parties are given an opportunity to oppose pending trademark applications and to seek to cancel registered trademarks. Opposition or cancellation proceedings may be filed against our applications and/or registrations, and our applications and/or registrations may not survive such proceedings. Failure to secure such trademark registrations in the United States and in foreign jurisdictions could adversely affect our ability to market our products and our business.

We may be subject to claims that our employees have wrongfully used or disclosed alleged trade secrets of their former employers.

As is common in the medical device industry, we may employ individuals who were previously employed at other companies similar to ours, including our competitors or potential competitors. We may become subject to claims that these employees or we have inadvertently or otherwise used or disclosed trade secrets or other proprietary information of their former employers. Litigation may be necessary to defend against these claims. Even if we are successful in defending against these claims, litigation could result in substantial costs and be a distraction to management.

We face the risk of product liability claims that could be expensive, divert management’s attention and harm our reputation and business.

Our business exposes us to the risk of product liability claims that are inherent in the testing manufacturing and marketing of medical devices. This risk exists even if a device is registered, cleared and approved for commercial sale by the FDA and manufactured in facilities licensed and regulated by the FDA or an applicable foreign regulatory authority. Any side effects, manufacturing defects, misuse or abuse associated with use of our appliance could result in patient injury or death. The medical device industry has historically been subject to extensive litigation over product liability claims, and we cannot offer any assurance that we will not face product liability suits. We may be subject to product liability claims if the use of our appliance may cause, or merely appeared to have caused, patient injury or death. In addition, an injury that is caused by the activities of our suppliers, such as those who provide us with components and raw materials, may be the basis for a claim against us. Product liability claims may be brought against us by patients, healthcare providers or others selling or otherwise coming into contact with our appliances, among others. If we cannot successfully defend ourselves against product liability claims, we will incur substantial liabilities and reputational harm. In addition, regardless of merit or eventual outcome, product liability claims may result in:

Any recall or market withdrawal of our products may delay the supply of those products to our customers and may impact our reputation. We can provide no assurance that we will be successful in initiating appropriate market recall or market withdrawal efforts that may be required in the future or that these efforts will have the intended effect of preventing product malfunctions and the accompanying product liability that may result. Such recalls and withdrawals may also be used by our competitors to harm our reputation for safety or be perceived by patients as a safety risk when considering the use of our products, either of which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We may not be able to maintain adequate product liability insurance.

Our product liability and clinical study liability insurance is subject to deductibles and coverage limitations. Our product liability insurance may not continue to be available to us on acceptable terms, if at all, and, if available, coverage may not be adequate to protect us against any future product liability claims. If we are unable to obtain insurance at an acceptable cost or on acceptable terms or otherwise protect against potential product liability claims, we could be exposed to significant liabilities. A product liability claim, recall or other claim with respect to uninsured liabilities or for amounts in excess of insured liabilities could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We bear the risk of warranty claims on our appliances.

We bear the risk of warranty claims on our appliances. We may not be successful in claiming recovery under any warranty or indemnity provided to us by our suppliers or vendors in the event of a successful warranty claim against us by a customer or that any recovery from such vendor or supplier would be adequate. In addition, warranty claims brought by our customers related to third-party components may arise after our ability to bring corresponding warranty claims against such suppliers expires, which could result in costs to us.

Our sales and marketing efforts may not be successful.

We currently market and sell our appliances and associated treatments and services to a limited number of licensed professionals, primarily general dentists. Less than 1% of the general dentists in the U.S. have been trained and certified in The Vivos Method. The commercial success of The Vivos Method ultimately depends upon a number of factors, including the number of dentists who use The Vivos Method, the number of Vivos appliances used by these dentists, the number of patients who become aware of The Vivos Method by self-referral or referrals by their primary care physicians, the number of patients who elect to use The Vivos Method, and the number of patients who, having successfully used The Vivos Method, endorse and refer The Vivos Method to other potential patients. The Vivos Method may not gain significant increased market acceptance among physicians/dentists who use it or who refer their patients, other patients, third-party healthcare insurers and managed care providers. We believe that primary care physicians typically elect to refer individuals to pulmonologists or other physicians who treat sleep disordered breathing, and these physicians may not recommend The Vivos Method to patients for any number of reasons, including safety and clinical efficacy, the availability of alternative procedures and treatment options, or inadequate levels of reimbursement. In addition, while positive patient experiences can be a significant driver of future sales, it is impossible to influence the manner in which this information is transmitted and received, the choices potential patients may make and the recommendations that treating physicians make to their patients.

Although we sell our product directly to our corporate-owned and independent VIP practices, our experience in marketing and selling The Vivos Method or VIP program through a direct sales organization in the United States is limited. We may not be able to maintain a suitable sales force in the United States or train up a suitable number of VIPs, or enter into or maintain satisfactory marketing and distribution arrangements with others. Our marketing and sales efforts may not be successful in increasing awareness and sales of The Vivos Method. In addition, other marketing efforts like MID and our collaborations with Candid and Empower Sleep may not increase revenue to the extent we currently anticipate.

In addition, we conduct our targeted marketing efforts in neighborhoods through channels such as direct mail, billboards, radio advertisements, physician open houses, community sponsorships and various social media. These marketing and sales efforts may not be successful in increasing awareness and sales of The Vivos Method, and if we are not successful in these efforts, we will have incurred expenses without materially increasing revenue. Furthermore, other marketing efforts like MID and the VivoScore Program may not increase revenue to the extent we currently anticipate.

The failure to educate or train a sufficient number of physicians and dentists in the use of The Vivos Method could reduce the market acceptance and reduce our revenue.

It is critical to the success of our sales efforts that there is an increasing number of dentists familiar with, trained in, and proficient in the use of The Vivos Method. Currently, dentists learn to use The Vivos Method through hands-on, on-site training or virtual training by our representatives. However, to receive this training, dentists must be aware of The Vivos Method as a treatment option for dentofacial abnormalities and/or mild to moderate OSA and snoring in adults and be interested in using the protocol in their practice. We cannot predict the extent to which dentists will dedicate the time and energy necessary for adequate training in the use of our proprietary treatments, have the knowledge of or experience in the clinical outcomes or feel comfortable enough to recommend it to their patients. Even if a dentist is well versed in The Vivos Method, he or she may be unwilling to require patients to pay for it out-of-pocket. If dentists do not continue to accept and recommend The Vivos Method, our revenue could be materially and adversely affected.

We rely on third-party suppliers and contract manufacturers for the manufacture and assembly of our products, and a loss or degradation in performance of these suppliers and contract manufacturers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We rely on third-party suppliers and contract manufacturers for the raw materials and components used in our appliances and to manufacture and assemble our products. Any of our other suppliers or our third-party contract manufacturers may be unwilling or unable to supply the necessary materials and components or manufacture and assemble our products reliably and at the levels we anticipate or that are required by the market. Our ability to supply our products commercially and to develop any future products depends, in part, on our ability to obtain these materials, components and products in accordance with regulatory requirements and in sufficient quantities for commercialization and clinical testing. While our suppliers and contract manufacturers have generally met our demand for their products and services on a timely basis in the past, we cannot guarantee that they will in the future be able to meet our demand for their products, either because of acts of nature, the nature of our agreements with those manufacturers or our relative importance to them as a customer, and our manufacturers may decide in the future to discontinue or reduce the level of business they conduct with us. If we are required to change contract manufacturers due to any change in or termination of our relationships with these third parties, or if our manufacturers are unable to obtain the materials they need to produce our products at consistent prices or at all, we may lose sales, experience manufacturing or other delays, incur increased costs or otherwise experience impairment to our customer relationships. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to establish alternative relationships on similar terms, without delay or at all.

Establishing additional or replacement suppliers for any of these materials, components or services, if required, could be time-consuming and expensive, may result in interruptions in our operations and product delivery, may affect the performance specifications of our appliances or could require that we modify its design. Even if we are able to find replacement suppliers or third-party contract manufacturers, we will be required to verify that the new supplier or third-party manufacturer maintains facilities, procedures and operations that comply with our quality expectations and applicable regulatory requirements.

If our third-party suppliers fail to deliver the required commercial quantities of materials on a timely basis and at commercially reasonable prices, and we are unable to find one or more replacement suppliers capable of production at a substantially equivalent cost in substantially equivalent volumes and quality on a timely basis, the continued commercialization of our appliances, the supply of our products to customers and the development of any future products will be delayed, limited or prevented, which could have material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Damage to our reputation or our brand could negatively impact our business, financial condition, and results of operations.

We must grow the value of our brand to be successful. We intend to develop a reputation based on the high quality of our products and services, Vivos trained clinicians, as well as on our particular culture and the experience of the patients of our VIPs. If we do not make investments in areas such as marketing and advertising, as well as personnel training, the value of our brand may not increase or may be diminished. Any incident, real or perceived, regardless of merit or outcome, that adversely affects our brand, such as, but not limited to, patient disability or death due to malpractice or allegations of malpractice, failure to comply with federal, state, or local regulations, including allegations or perceptions of non-compliance or failure to comply with ethical and operational standards, could significantly reduce the value of our brand, expose us to negative publicity and damage our overall business and reputation.

Our marketing activities may not be successful.

We incur costs and expend other resources in our marketing efforts to attract and retain VIPs and other medical professionals. Our marketing activities to date have had limited impact in terms of overall market penetration, and have been principally focused on increasing brand awareness in the communities in which we provide services. We expect to continue to undertake aggressive marketing campaigns to increase medical and dental community awareness about our product and service capabilities. We conduct our marketing efforts in local areas primarily through various social media and online channels, radio advertisements, physician referrals, other professional referrals, and community event sponsorships. If we are not successful in these efforts, we will have incurred expenses without materially increasing revenue.

The OSA market is highly competitive, including competition for patients, strategic relationships, and commercial payor contracts.

The market for providing treatment for OSA is highly competitive. Our VIP offices and our VIPs face competition from existing facilities providing treatment for OSA, depending on the type of patient and geographic market. Our VIPs compete on the basis of our protocol/products (The Vivos Method), quality, price, accessibility, and overall experience. We compete with national, regional, and local enterprises, many of which have greater financial and other resources available to them, greater access to dentists and physicians or greater access to potential patients. We also compete on the basis of our multistate, regional footprint, which we believe will be of value to both employers and third-party payors. As a result of the differing competitive factors within the markets in which we operate and will operate, the individual results of our VIP offices may be volatile. If we are unable to compete effectively with any of these entities or groups, or we are unable to implement our business strategies, there could be a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations and financial condition.

We have limited clinical evidence to support patient compliance with the use our products is superior to competitive products.

We believe that our non-surgical treatment of limited duration is preferable relative to mild to moderate OSA CPAP users or other oral appliance or surgical therapies, resulting in improved patient compliance. However, we have limited clinical evidence to support our beliefs that patient compliance in the use of our products as well as actual clinical outcomes are superior to competitive products. If actual patient compliance as studied in a clinical trial (should we conduct one) proves less than what we had anticipated, the acceptance of The Vivos Method in the marketplace, and our revenues and overall results of operations, may be adversely impacted.

Government healthcare programs may reduce reimbursement rates, which could adversely affect sales of our appliances and demand for dental practitioners from becoming or remaining VIPs.

In recent years, new legislation has been proposed and adopted at both the federal and state level that is effecting major changes in the healthcare system. Any change in the laws, regulations, or policies governing the healthcare system could adversely affect reimbursement rates, which could adversely affect sales of our appliances and thus adversely affect our operations and financial condition. Enacted in 2010, the Affordable Care Act (or ACA) seeks to expand healthcare coverage, while increasing quality and limiting costs. The ACA substantially changes the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and commercial payors. As a result of the ACA or the adoption of additional federal and state healthcare reforms measures there could be limits to the amounts that federal and state governments will pay for healthcare services, which could result in reduced demand for, or profitability of our appliances and for dental practitioners from becoming or remaining VIPs.

Significant uncertainty exists as to the reimbursement status of healthcare products. The regulations that govern marketing approvals, pricing and reimbursement for medical devices vary widely from country to country. In the United States, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, as amended by the Health Care and Education Affordability Reconciliation Act of 2010, is significantly changing the way healthcare is financed by both governmental and private insurers. While we cannot predict what impact on federal reimbursement policies this law or any amendment to it will continue to have in general or specifically on The Vivos Method or any product that we commercialize, the ACA or any such amendment may result in downward pressure on reimbursements, which could negatively affect market acceptance of The Vivos Method. In addition, although the United States Supreme Court has upheld the constitutionality of most of the ACA, several states have not implemented certain sections of the ACA, including 19 that have rejected the expansion of Medicaid eligibility for low-income citizens, and some members of the U.S. Congress are still working to repeal the ACA. We expect that the ACA, as currently enacted or as it may be amended or repealed in the future, and other healthcare reform measures that may be adopted in the future, could have a material adverse effect on our industry generally and on our ability to successfully commercialize our products. We cannot predict the likelihood, nature or extent of government regulation that may arise from future legislation or administrative action, either in the United States or abroad. If we are slow or unable to adapt to changes in existing requirements or the adoption of new requirements or policies, or if we or our collaborators are not able to maintain regulatory compliance, our products may lose any regulatory approval that may have been obtained and we may not achieve or sustain profitability, which would adversely affect our business.

If payments from commercial or governmental payors are significantly delayed, reduced or eliminated, our business, prospects, results of operations and financial condition could be adversely affected.

We will depend upon revenue from sales of the billable procedures from The Vivos Method, and in turn on reimbursement from third-party payors. The amount that our VIPs receive in payment for the billable procedures may be adversely affected by factors we do not control, including federal or state regulatory or legislative changes, cost-containment decisions and changes in reimbursement schedules of third-party payors. Any reduction or elimination of these reimbursements could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations and financial condition.

Additionally, the reimbursement process is complex and can involve lengthy delays. Also, third-party payors may reject, in whole or in part, requests for reimbursement based on determinations that certain amounts are not reimbursable under plan coverage, that services provided were not medically necessary, that additional supporting documentation is necessary, or for other reasons. Retroactive adjustments by third-party payors may be difficult or cost prohibitive to appeal, and such changes could materially reduce the actual amount we receive from our VIPs. Delays and uncertainties in the reimbursement process may be out of our control and may adversely affect our business, prospects, results of operations and financial condition.

Significant changes in our payor mix resulting from fluctuations in the types of patients seen by our VIPs could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations and financial condition.

Our results may change from period to period due to fluctuations in our VIPs’ payor mix. Payor mix refers to the relative amounts we receive from the mix of persons or entities that pay or reimburse our VIPs for healthcare services. Because we believe that our VIPs will receive a higher payment rate from commercial payors than from governmental payors or self-pay patients, a significant shift in our payor mix toward a higher percentage of self-pay or patients whose treatment is paid in whole or part by a governmental payor, could occur for reasons beyond our control and could lessen demand for The Vivos Method, which in turn could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations and financial condition.

Failure by our Billing Intelligence Service to bill timely or accurately for billable services rendered by participating VIP providers could have a negative impact on our revenue and cash flow.

Billing for medical services rendered in connection with billable procedures of The Vivos Method is often complex and time consuming. The practice of providing dental or medical services in advance of payment or prior to assessing a patient’s ability to pay for such services may have a significant negative impact on a VIP provider’s patient service revenue, bad debt expense and cash flow. Not all our VIPs subscribe to our Billing Intelligence Service. For VIPs who do subscribe, we bill numerous medical payors, including various forms of commercial health insurance providers on their behalf. Billing requirements that must be met prior to receiving payment for services rendered often vary by payor. Self-pay patients and third-party payors may fail to pay for services even if they have been properly billed. Reimbursement is typically dependent on providing the proper procedure and diagnosis codes, supportive documentation to show medical necessity. Medical insurance is never a guarantee of payment.

Additional factors that could affect our ability to collect from insurers for the services rendered by our participating VIP providers include:

The complexity associated with billing for The Vivos Method procedures may lead to delays in cash collections by our VIPs, resulting in increased carrying costs associated with the aging of our accounts receivable as well as the increased potential for bad debt expense.

We may incur costs resulting from security risks in connection with the electronic data processing by our partner banks.

Because we accept electronic payment cards for payments at our facilities and the facilities of our VIPs, we may incur costs resulting from related security risks in connection with the electronic processing of confidential information by our partner banks. Recently, several large national banks have experienced potential or actual breaches in which similar data has been or may have been stolen. Such occurrences could cause patient dissatisfaction resulting in decreased visits or could also distract our management team from the management of the day-to-day operations.

Our relationships with VIPs, other healthcare providers, and third-party payors will be subject, directly or indirectly, to federal and state healthcare fraud and abuse laws, false claims laws, health information privacy and security laws, and other healthcare laws and regulations. If we are unable to comply, or have not fully complied, with such laws, we could face substantial penalties.

Healthcare providers (including our VIPs), physicians and third-party payors in the United States and elsewhere will play a primary role in the recommendation of The Vivos Method. Our current and future arrangements with healthcare professionals, principal investigators, consultants, customers and third-party payors may subject us to various federal and state fraud and abuse laws and other health care laws, including, without limitation, the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, the federal civil and criminal false claims laws and the law commonly referred to as the Physician Payments Sunshine Act and regulations. These laws will impact, among other things, our clinical research, sales, marketing and educational programs. In addition, we may be subject to patient privacy laws by both the federal government and the states in which we conduct or may conduct our business. The laws that will affect our operations include, but are not limited to:

Because of the breadth of these laws and the narrowness of the statutory exceptions and safe harbors available, it is possible that some of our business activities could be subject to challenge under one or more of such laws.

It is possible that governmental authorities will conclude that our business practices may not comply with current or future statutes, regulations or case law involving applicable fraud and abuse or other healthcare laws and regulations. If our operations are found to be in violation of any of these laws or any other governmental regulations that may apply to us, we may be subject to significant civil, criminal and administrative penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, imprisonment, exclusion of our products from government funded healthcare programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, additional reporting requirements and oversight if we become subject to a corporate integrity agreement or similar agreement to resolve allegations of non-compliance with these laws and the curtailment or restructuring of our operations.

The risk of our being found in violation of these laws is increased by the fact that many of them have not been fully interpreted by the regulatory authorities or the courts, and their provisions are open to a variety of interpretations. Efforts to ensure that our business arrangements with third parties will comply with applicable healthcare laws and regulations will involve substantial costs. Any action against us for violation of these laws, even if we successfully defend against it, could cause us to incur significant legal expenses and divert our management’s attention from the operation of our business. The shifting compliance environment and the need to build and maintain robust and expandable systems to comply with multiple jurisdictions with different compliance and/or reporting requirements increases the possibility that a healthcare company may run afoul of one or more of the requirements.

The misuse or off-label use of The Vivos Method may harm our reputation in the marketplace, result in injuries that lead to product liability suits or result in costly investigations, fines or sanctions by regulatory bodies if we are deemed to have engaged in the promotion of these uses, any of which could be costly to our business.

We train our marketing personnel and direct sales force to not promote the oral appliances of The Vivos Method for uses outside of the FDA-cleared indications for use, known as off-label uses. We cannot, however, prevent a medical professional from using our appliances off label when, in their independent professional medical judgment, he or she deems it appropriate. There may be increased risk of injury or other side effects to patients if physicians attempt to use our appliances and associated treatments off label. Furthermore, the use of our appliances and associated treatments for indications other than those cleared by the FDA or cleared by any foreign regulatory body may not effectively treat such conditions, which could harm our reputation in the marketplace among physicians and patients.

Given that we are aware that, notwithstanding our training guidelines, our independent VIPs may use our appliances off-label, there is a risk that we could face regulatory scrutiny because of such use. If the FDA or any foreign regulatory body determines that our promotional (labeling) materials or training constitute promotion of an off-label use, it could request that we modify our training or promotional materials or subject us to regulatory or enforcement actions, including the issuance or imposition of an untitled letter, which is used for violations that do not necessitate a warning letter, injunction, seizure, civil fine or criminal penalties. It is also possible that other federal, state or foreign enforcement authorities might take action under other regulatory authority, such as false claims laws, if they consider our business activities to constitute promotion of an off-label use, which could result in significant penalties, including, but not limited to, criminal, civil and administrative penalties, damages, fines, disgorgement, exclusion from participation in government healthcare programs and the curtailment of our operations.

In addition, dentists may misuse our appliances within The Vivos Method or use improper techniques if they are not adequately trained or if they deviate in their techniques or protocols from those we promulgate and endorse, potentially leading to injury and an increased risk of product liability. If The Vivos Method is misused or used with improper technique, we may become subject to costly litigation by our customers or their patients. Similarly, in an effort to decrease costs, physicians may also reuse our appliances despite them being intended for a single use or may purchase reprocessed Vivos appliances from third-party processors in lieu of purchasing a new Vivos appliance from one of our contract manufacturers, which could result in product failure and liability. Product liability claims could divert management’s attention from our core business, be expensive to defend and result in sizeable damage awards against us that may not be covered by insurance.

It is also possible that alternative products available in the market that make claims similar to ours may cause confusion or the impression that such products are substantially the same, or work in substantially the same manner as our products, or that they have similar regulatory approvals or are backed by clinical research. If that were to occur, the company may lose market share or be unfairly lumped into any regulatory or legal actions that may arise from such third-party claims.

We have undertaken and plan to continue to explore acquisitions of complementary businesses or technologies, which could divert the attention of management, and which may not be integrated successfully into our existing business.

We have undertaken and plan to continue to explore acquisitions or licenses of technology to, among other things, expand the scope of products services we provide. Examples of our implementation of this strategy include our (i) late February 2023 acquisition of certain U.S. and international patents, product rights, and other miscellaneous intellectual property from Advanced Facialdontics, LLC, (ii) March 2021 acquisition certain assets related to our OMT service in March 2021 from MyoCorrect, LLC, and (iii) April 2021 acquisition of certain medical billing and practice management software, licenses and contracts (including the software underlying AireO2) from Lyon Management and Consulting, LLC. The acquisition and integration of another business or technology can divert management attention from other business activities, including our core business. This diversion, together with other difficulties we may incur in integrating an acquired business or technology, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

As for future potential acquisitions, we cannot guarantee that we will identify suitable acquisition candidates, that acquisitions will be completed on acceptable terms or that we will be able to successfully integrate the operations of any acquired business into our existing business. The acquisitions could be of significant size and involve operations in multiple jurisdictions. In addition, we may borrow money or issue capital stock to finance acquisitions. Such borrowings might not be available on terms as favorable to us as our current borrowing terms and may increase our leverage, and the issuance of capital stock could dilute the interests of our stockholders.

Our business is seasonal, which impacts our results of operations.

Historically, our fourth quarters tend to be our best performing quarters, both in terms of new VIP enrollments as well as appliance sales from case starts, while the first quarters have tended to be our worst. We believe that the patient volumes of our VIPs will be sensitive to seasonal fluctuations in urgent care and primary care activity. Typically, winter months see a higher occurrence of influenza, bronchitis, pneumonia and similar illnesses; however, the timing and severity of these outbreaks vary dramatically. Additionally, as consumers shift toward high deductible insurance plans, they are responsible for a greater percentage of their bill, particularly in the early months of the year before other healthcare spending has occurred, which may lead to lower than expected patient volume or an increase in bad debt expense during that period. Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate significantly in the future depending on these and other factors.

We could be subject to lawsuits for which we are not fully insured.

Healthcare providers have become subject to an increasing number of lawsuits alleging malpractice and related legal theories such as negligent hiring, supervision and credentialing. Some of these lawsuits involve large claim amounts and substantial defense costs. We generally procure professional liability insurance coverage for our affiliated medical professionals and professional and corporate entities. We are currently insured under policies in amounts management deems appropriate, based upon the nature and risk of our business. Our medical professionals are also required to provide their own medical malpractice insurance coverages. Nevertheless, there are exclusions and exceptions to coverage under each insurance policy that may make coverage for any claim unavailable, future claims could exceed the limits of available insurance coverage, existing insurers could become insolvent and fail to meet their obligations to provide coverage for such claims, and such coverage may not always be available with sufficient limits and at reasonable cost to insure us adequately and economically in the future. One or more successful claims against us not covered by, or exceeding the coverage of, our insurance could have a material adverse effect on our business, prospects, results of operations and financial condition. Moreover, in the normal course of our business, we may be involved in other types of lawsuits, claims, audits and investigations, including those arising out of our billing and marketing practices, employment disputes, contractual claims and other business disputes for which we may have no insurance coverage. Furthermore, for our losses that are insured or reinsured through commercial insurance providers, we are subject to the financial viability of those insurance companies. Although we believe our commercial insurance providers are currently creditworthy, they may not remain so in the future. The outcome of these matters could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations, and cash flows.

We depend on certain key personnel.

We substantially rely on the efforts of our current senior management, including our Chief Executive Officer, R. Kirk Huntsman, our Chief Financial Officer, Brad Amman, Susan McCullough, our EVP of Operations, and Patrick Kircher, our EVP of Sales and Marketing, among others. Our business would be impeded or harmed if we were to lose their services. In addition, if we are unable to attract, train and retain highly skilled technical, managerial, product development, sales and marketing personnel, we may be at a competitive disadvantage and unable to develop new products or increase revenue. The failure to attract, train, retain and effectively manage employees could negatively impact our research and development, sales and marketing and reimbursement efforts. In particular, the loss of sales personnel could lead to lost sales opportunities as it can take several months to hire and train replacement sales personnel. Uncertainty created by turnover of key employees could adversely affect our business.

Members of our Board of Directors and our executive officers will have other business interests and obligations to other entities.

Neither our directors nor our executive officers will be required to manage our business as their sole and exclusive function and they may have other business interests and may engage in other activities in addition to those relating to us, provided that such activities do not compete with the business of our company or otherwise breach their agreements with us. We are dependent on our directors and executive officers to successfully operate our company. Their other business interests and activities could divert time and attention from operating our business.

We will need to carefully manage our expanding operations to achieve sustainable growth.

To achieve increased revenue levels, complete clinical studies and develop future products, we believe that we will be required to periodically expand our operations, particularly in the areas of sales and marketing, clinical research, reimbursement, research and development, manufacturing and quality assurance. As we expand our operations in these areas, management will face new and increased responsibilities. To accommodate any growth and compete effectively, we must continue to upgrade and improve our information systems, as well as our procedures and controls across our business, and expand, train, motivate and manage our work force. Our future success will depend significantly on the ability of our current and future management to operate effectively. Our personnel, systems, procedures and controls may not be adequate to support our future operations. If we are unable to effectively manage our expected growth, this could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We could be adversely affected by violations of the U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and similar worldwide anti-bribery and anti-kickback laws with respect to our activities outside the United States.

We distribute our products to locations within and outside the United States and Canada. Our business plan also anticipates VIP offices outside the United States and Canada. The U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, and other similar anti-bribery and anti-kickback laws and regulations, generally prohibit companies and their intermediaries from making improper payments to non-U.S. officials for the purpose of obtaining or retaining business. As we expect to expand our international operations in the future, we will become increasingly subjected to these laws and regulations. We cannot assure you that we will be successful in preventing our agents from taking actions in violation of these laws or regulations. Such violations, or allegations of such violations, could disrupt our business and result in a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Risks Related to Our Products and Regulation

We depend in large part on The Vivos Method technology, and the loss of access to this technology would terminate or delay the further development of our products, injure our reputation or force us to pay higher fees.

We depend, in large part, on The Vivos Method technology. The loss or dilution of the trade secrets and other intellectual property that comprises this key technology would seriously impair our business and future viability, and could result in delays in developing, introducing or maintaining our treatments/products until equivalent technology, if available, is identified, licensed and integrated. In addition, any defects in the products of The Vivos Method technology or other technologies we gain access to in the future could prevent the implementation or impair the functionality of our products, delay new product introductions or injure our reputation. If we are required to acquire or enter into license agreements with third parties for replacement technologies, we could be subject to higher fees, milestone or royalty payments, assuming we could access such technologies at all.

Our failure to obtain government approvals, including required FDA approvals, or to comply with ongoing, and ever increasing, governmental regulations relating to our technologies and products could delay or limit introduction of our products and result in failure to achieve revenue or maintain our ongoing business.

Our development activities and the manufacture and marketing of The Vivos Method are subject to extensive regulation for safety, efficacy and quality by numerous government authorities in the United States and abroad. Before receiving FDA or foreign regulatory clearance to market our future products needing approval, we will have to demonstrate that these products are safe and effective in the patient population and for the diseases that are to be treated. Clinical trials, manufacturing and marketing of medical devices are subject to the rigorous testing and approval process of the FDA and equivalent foreign regulatory authorities. The Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act and other federal, state and foreign statutes and regulations govern and influence the testing, manufacture, labeling, advertising, distribution and promotion of medical devices. As a result, regulatory approvals for our products not yet approved or that we may develop in the future can take a number of years or longer to accomplish and require the expenditure of substantial financial, managerial and other resources.

Clinical trials that may be required to support regulatory submissions in the United States are expensive. We cannot assure that we will be able to complete any required clinical trial programs successfully within any specific time period, and if such clinical trials take longer to complete than we project, our ability to execute our current business strategy will be adversely affected.

Conducting clinical trials is a lengthy, time-consuming and expensive process. Before obtaining regulatory approvals for the commercial sale of any products, we must demonstrate through clinical trials the safety and effectiveness of our products. We have incurred, and we will continue to incur, substantial expense for, and devote a significant amount of time to, product development, pilot trial testing, clinical trials and regulated, compliant manufacturing processes.

Even if completed, we do not know if these trials will produce statistically significant or clinically meaningful results sufficient to support an application for marketing approval. If and how quickly we complete clinical trials is dependent in part upon the rate at which we are able to advance the rate of patient enrollment, and the rate to collect, clean, lock and analyze the clinical trial database.

Patient enrollment in trials is a function of many factors. These include the design of the protocol; the size of the patient population; the proximity of patients to and availability of clinical sites; the eligibility criteria for the study; the perceived risks and benefits of the product candidate under study; the medical investigators’ efforts to facilitate timely enrollment in clinical trials; the patient referral practices of local physicians; the existence of competitive clinical trials; and whether other investigational, existing or new products are available or cleared for the indication. If we experience delays in patient enrollment and/or completion of our clinical trial programs, we may incur additional costs and delays in our development programs and may not be able to complete our clinical trials on a cost-effective or timely basis. Accordingly, we may not be able to complete the clinical trials within an acceptable time frame, if at all. If we fail to enroll and maintain the number of patients for which the clinical trial was designed, the statistical power of that clinical trial may be reduced, which would make it harder to demonstrate that the product candidate being tested in such clinical trial is safe and effective. Further, if we or any third party have difficulty enrolling a sufficient number of patients in a timely or cost-effective manner to conduct clinical trials as planned, or if enrolled patients do not complete the trial as planned, we or a third party may need to delay or terminate ongoing clinical trials, which could negatively affect our business.

The results of our clinical trials may not support either further clinical development or the commercialization of any new product candidates or modifications to existing products.

Even if our ongoing or contemplated clinical trials are completed as planned, their results may not support either the further clinical development or the commercialization of any new product candidates or modifications of existing products. The FDA or government authorities may not agree with our conclusions regarding the results of our clinical trials. Success in preclinical testing and early clinical trials does not ensure that later clinical trials will be successful, and the results from any later clinical trials may not replicate the results of prior clinical trials and pre-clinical testing. The clinical trial process may fail to demonstrate that our product candidates are safe and effective for indicated uses. This failure would cause us to abandon a product candidate or a modification to any existing product and may delay development of other product candidates. Any delay in, or termination of, our clinical trials will delay the filing of our 510(k)’s and, ultimately, our ability to commercialize our product candidates and generate product revenue. Generally, Class II medical device marketed in the U.S. must receive a 510(k) clearance from the FDA. A 510(k) is a premarket submission made to FDA to demonstrate that the device to be marketed is at least as safe and effective, that is, substantially equivalent (or SE), to a legally marketed device. Companies must compare their device to one or more similar legally marketed devices, commonly known as “predicates”, and make and support their substantial equivalency claims. The submitting company may not proceed with product marketing until it receives an order from the FDA declaring a device substantially equivalent. The substantially equivalent determination is usually made within 90 days, based on the information submitted by the applicant.

In addition, we or the FDA may suspend our clinical trials at any time if it appears that we are exposing participants to unacceptable health risks or if the FDA finds deficiencies in the conduct of these trials. A number of companies in the medical technology industry have suffered significant setbacks in advanced clinical trials despite promising results in earlier trials. In the end, we may be unable to develop marketable products.

Modifications to appliances within The Vivos Method may require additional FDA approvals which, if not obtained, could force us to cease marketing and/or recall the modified device until we obtain new approvals.

After a device receives a 510(k) clearance, any modification that could significantly affect its safety or effectiveness, or that would constitute a major change in its intended use, requires a new 510(k) clearance or could require a Premarket approval (or PMA). PMA is the FDA process of scientific and regulatory review to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of Class III medical devices. Class III devices are those that support or sustain human life, are of substantial importance in preventing impairment of human health, or which present a potential, unreasonable risk of illness or injury. Currently we do not market devices within this Class III category nor do we intend to in the foreseeable future. However, the FDA requires each manufacturer to make this determination in the first instance, but the FDA can review any decision. If the FDA disagrees with a manufacturer’s decision not to seek a new 510(k) clearance, the agency may retroactively require the manufacturer to seek 510(k) clearance or PMA approval. The FDA also can require the manufacturer to cease marketing and/or recall the modified devices until 510(k) clearance or PMA approval is obtained. We cannot assure you that the FDA would agree with any of our decisions not to seek 510(k) clearance or PMA approval. If the FDA requires us to seek 510(k) clearance or PMA approval for any modification, we also may be required to cease marketing and/or recall the modified device until we obtain a new 510(k) clearance or PMA approval.

We are subject to inspection and market surveillance by the FDA to determine compliance with regulatory requirements. If the FDA finds that we have failed to comply, the agency can institute a wide variety of enforcement actions which may materially affect our business operations.

We are subject to inspection and market surveillance by the FDA to determine compliance with regulatory requirements. If the FDA finds that we have failed to comply, the agency can institute a wide variety of enforcement actions, ranging from a public warning letter to more severe sanctions such as:

We have received an FDA warning letter in the past when such a letter was received by our subsidiary BioModeling Solutions, Inc. (“BioModeling” or “BMS”) in January 2018 following a routine FDA audit. In its letter, the FDA noted matters such as inadequate documentation of certain FDA-required procedures, not keeping certain records and materials in paper format and in triplicate, and using certain descriptive words and phrases on its website and in marketing materials that were unapproved in advance by FDA. On January 31, 2023, the FDA sent us a letter stating that, based on their evaluation, the violations contained in warning letter were addressed, and therefore the warning letter was considered closed-out. Future FDA inspections and regulatory activities will further assess the adequacy and sustainability of those corrections, and we may again become subject to FDA review and scrutiny, which could adversely impact our business.

The FDA also has the authority to request repair, replacement or refund of the cost of any medical device manufactured or distributed by us. Our failure to comply with applicable requirements could lead to an enforcement action that may have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Treatment with The Vivos Method has only been available for a relatively limited time, and we do not know whether there will be significant post-treatment regression or relapse.

Patient treatment using the FDA registered DNA appliance began in 2009, while treatment for mild to moderate OSA using the FDA cleared mRNA appliance began in 2014. Both began under the prior business model of our predecessor (and now subsidiary) BMS, and well before our formation. Under the BMS model, the independent treating dentists generated and maintained all records of treatment and ordered their appliances directly from one of the BMS designated labs. Thus, with the exception of specific patients who participated in studies, clinical trials or case reports, we have had limited visibility into patient records which might contain data on the long-term durability and stability of our treatment beyond just a few years. Therefore, we have limited empirical data to support our view that the risk of post treatment regression or relapse is not significant. To the extent a material number of patients who were treated with The Vivos Method were to be found to experience post-treatment relapse or regression, it could pose a significant risk to our brand, the willingness or ability of physicians to prescribe and dentists to use our products and the willingness of patients to engage in treatment with our products and could thus have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

We are subject to potential risks associated with the need to comply with state or other DSO laws.

Our core VIP business model does not involve any form of joint ownership, operational control, or employment of licensed professionals by our company. Thus, we are not typically regarded as a “dental service organization” (or DSO) under the laws of the various states within the United States or in Canada, in which we conduct most of our business. However, we do operate two retail treatment clinics in Colorado wherein we do employ dentists under a provider network model consistent with Colorado law. In that respect, we may be regarded as a DSO. In addition, we have begun to strategically establish a nationwide network of professional corporations, owned by independent licensed dentists in each state, in order to lay the regulatory groundwork for our Airway Alliance model and program. In essence, Airway Alliance will operate in similar fashion to a DSO, thus providing us with what we believe to be certain strategic and competitive advantages. Nevertheless, to the extent we are deemed to be a DSO in any jurisdiction, it could make it difficult or impossible for us to recruit and retain qualified dentists as VIPs, as some state dental boards are sometimes adverse to corporate DSOs operating in their states. Moreover, where such DSO-provider relationships are permitted, such regulations may impose significant constraints on the structure and financial arrangements that are permissible between us and our affiliated dentists in a particular state.

In jurisdictions where laws allow DSOs to operate (which includes almost all U.S. states and Canada), a growing number of dentists are affiliating with corporate DSOs. In those cases, the DSO may not allow their affiliated dentists to offer our products and services or to become VIPs. Thus, the overall number of dentists who are prospects to become VIPs and utilize our products and services may be reduced, which would impair our ability to generate revenue from our core VIP business model.

Our Medical Integration Division business line may implicate federal and state laws involving the practice of medicine and related anti-kickback and similar laws.

Our MID was launched in 2020 to assist VIP practices in establishing clinical collaboration ties to local primary care physicians, sleep specialists, ENTs, pediatricians and other healthcare professionals who routinely see or treat patients with sleep and breathing disorders. The primary objective of our MID is to promote The Vivos Method to the medical profession and thus facilitate more patients being able to receive a treatment with The Vivos Method. There is a risk, however, that our MID may implicate legal or regulatory compliance issues that may arise in the course of our activities, including various Federal healthcare statutes such as the Stark and anti-kickback laws as well as state-by-state regulations pertaining to inter-disciplinary ownership of professional corporations or other legal entities. We have conducted research, including obtaining advice from outside legal counsel, regarding the implications of these laws and regulations to MID and believe the MID’s operations will be in compliance with or will not implicate these laws and regulations. However, there is a risk that such laws and regulations (or similar laws and regulations adopted in the future) might be interpreted, reinterpreted, or modified in the future in such a way so as to impede or prevent us from continuing to develop or manage our MID, which could lead to our having to discontinue the MID and could leave us subject to regulatory scrutiny and sanction. No advice of counsel has been obtained with respect any potential operations of the MID in Canada.

We may not be able to prohibit or limit our dentists, physicians and other healthcare professionals from competing with us in our local markets.

In certain states in which we operate or intend to operate, non-compete, non-solicitation, and other negative covenants applicable to employment or ownership are judicially or statutorily limited in their effectiveness or are entirely unenforceable against dentists, physicians and other healthcare professionals. As a result, we may not be able to retain our provider relationships or protect our market share, operational processes or procedures, or limit insiders or VIPs from using competitive information against us or competing with us, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and ability to remain competitive as our arrangements with our VIPs do not contain competitive restrictions.

Risks Related to Our Securities Generally

The market for our common stock is relatively new and may not develop to provide investors with adequate liquidity.

We conducted our initial public offering in December 2020, and a follow-on offering in May 2021. Therefore, the market for our common stock is relatively new, and has experience periods of inactivity as well as significant volatility. We cannot assure you that an orderly and liquid trading market for our common stock will develop, or if it does develop, it may not be maintained. You may not be able to sell your common stock quickly or at the market price if trading in our securities is not active.

The market price of our common stock has been and may continue to be highly volatile, which creates the risk of substantial losses for investors.

The market price of our common stock has at times been, and is likely in the future to be, volatile. This volatility may prevent you from being able to sell your securities at or above the price you paid for your securities. Our stock price could be subject to wide fluctuations in response to a variety of factors, which include:

In addition, the stock market in general, and the stock of publicly-traded medical technology companies in particular, have experienced extreme price and volume fluctuations that have often been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of these companies. Broad market and industry factors may negatively affect the market price of our common stock, regardless of our actual operating performance.

Our failure to meet the continuing listing requirements of The Nasdaq Capital Market could result in a de-listing of our securities.

If we fail to satisfy the continuing listing requirements of Nasdaq, such as the corporate governance, stockholders equity or minimum closing bid price requirements, Nasdaq may take steps to delist our common stock. Such a delisting would likely have a negative effect on the price of our common stock and would impair your ability to sell or purchase our common stock when you wish to do so. In the event of a delisting, we would likely take actions to restore our compliance with Nasdaq’s listing requirements, but we can provide no assurance that any such action taken by us would allow our common stock to become listed again, stabilize the market price or improve the liquidity of our securities, prevent our common stock from dropping below the Nasdaq minimum bid price requirement or prevent future non-compliance with Nasdaq’s listing requirements. During 2022, we received two notices from Nasdaq informing us of our failure to comply with two continuing Nasdaq listing requirements: failure to timely file our reports with the SEC, and failure to achieve the Nasdaq minimum bid price for 30 consecutive trading days. While both of these deficiencies were cleared by January 2023, we may again become subject to potential delisting from Nasdaq if we are unable to comply with all continued listing requirements.

The terms of our January 2023 private placement could hamper our fundraising efforts.

In January 2023, we engaged in an $8 million private placement with a single institutional investor. The terms of the Securities Purchase Agreement related to such private placement contains certain restrictions that could hamper our future fundraising efforts. Specifically:

(a) from January 5, 2023 until May 9, 2023, neither our company nor any subsidiary of our company shall (i) issue, enter into any agreement to issue or announce the issuance or proposed issuance of any shares of common stock or securities convertible into or exercisable for common stock or (ii) file any registration statement or any amendment or supplement thereto, in each case other than as contemplated by the Registration Rights Agreement we entered into with the investor; or

(b) from January 5, 2023 until November 8, 2023, we shall be prohibited from effecting or entering into an agreement to effect any issuance by us or any of our subsidiaries of any shares of common stock or securities convertible into or exercisable for common stock (or a combination of units thereof) involving a “variable rate transaction”, meaning a transaction in which we (i) issue or sell any debt or equity securities that are convertible into, exchangeable or exercisable for, or include the right to receive, additional shares of common stock either (i) at a conversion price, exercise price or exchange rate or other price that is based upon, and/or varies with, the trading prices of or quotations for the shares of common stock at any time after the initial issuance of such debt or equity securities or (ii) with a conversion, exercise or exchange price that is subject to being reset at some future date after the initial issuance of such debt or equity security or upon the occurrence of specified or contingent events directly or indirectly related to our business or the market for the common stock or (ii) enter into, or effect a transaction under, any agreement, including, but not limited to, an equity line of credit, whereby we may issue securities at a future determined price.

The existence of these restrictions could reduce the number of fundraising structures available to us, or could discourage potential investors from making offers of investment to us. As a result, we may find it more difficult to raise required funding at times and on terms we deem desirable, and our inability to raise necessary funding could have a material adverse effect on our company and stock price.

If our shares of common stock become subject to the penny stock rules, it would become more difficult to trade our shares.

The Securities and Exchange Commission (or SEC) has adopted rules that regulate broker-dealer practices in connection with transactions in penny stocks. Penny stocks are generally equity securities with a price of less than $5.00, other than securities registered on certain national securities exchanges or authorized for quotation on certain automated quotation systems, provided that current price and volume information with respect to transactions in such securities is provided by the exchange or system. If we do not obtain or retain a listing on Nasdaq and if the price of our common stock is less than $5.00, our common stock will be deemed a penny stock. The penny stock rules require a broker-dealer, before a transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, to deliver a standardized risk disclosure document containing specified information. In addition, the penny stock rules require that before effecting any transaction in a penny stock not otherwise exempt from those rules, a broker-dealer must make a special written determination that the penny stock is a suitable investment for the purchaser and receive (i) the purchaser’s written acknowledgment of the receipt of a risk disclosure statement; (ii) a written agreement to transactions involving penny stocks; and (iii) a signed and dated copy of a written suitability statement. These disclosure requirements may have the effect of reducing the trading activity in the secondary market for our common stock, and therefore stockholders may have difficulty selling their shares.

There can be no assurance that we will ever provide liquidity to our investors through a sale of our company.

While acquisitions of medical technology companies like ours are not uncommon, potential investors are cautioned that no assurances can be given that any form of merger, combination, or sale of our company will take place relating to our company, or that any merger, combination, or sale, even if consummated, would provide liquidity or a profit for our investors. You should not invest in our company with the expectation that we will be able to sell the business in order to provide liquidity or a profit for our investors.

Our officers and directors may have the ability to exert significant influence over our affairs, including the outcome of matters requiring stockholder approval.

Our officers and directors and their affiliates (primarily Kirk Huntsman) currently own shares of common stock, in the aggregate, representing approximately 7.6% of our outstanding voting capital stock. In addition, Dr. Dave Singh, our former Chief Medical Officer and director, owns an additional 10.8% of our outstanding voting stock. As a result, if these stockholders and any associated stockholders were to choose to act together, they have and may continue to be able to exert control over certain matters submitted to our stockholders for approval by having the ability to block certain proposals. For example, these persons, if they choose to act collectively, would have the ability to vote against and block a proposed merger, consolidation or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. This concentration of voting power could delay or prevent an acquisition of our company on terms that other stockholders may desire.

Actions of activist shareholders could be disruptive and potentially costly and the possibility that activist shareholders may seek changes that conflict with our strategic direction could cause uncertainty about the strategic direction of our business.

Activist investors or other stockholders who disagree with our management may attempt to effect changes in our strategic direction and how our company is governed or may seek to acquire control over our company. Some investors (commonly known as “activist investors”) seek to increase short-term stockholder value by advocating corporate actions such as financial restructuring, increased borrowing, special dividends, stock repurchases, or even sales of assets or the entire company. Activist campaigns can also seek to change the composition of our Board of Directors, and campaigns that contest or conflict with our strategic direction could have an adverse effect on our results of operations and financial condition as responding to proxy contests and other actions by activist shareholders can disrupt our operations, be costly and time-consuming, and divert the attention of our Board of Directors and senior management from the pursuit of our business strategies. In addition, perceived uncertainties as to our future direction that can arise from potential changes to the composition of our Board of Directors sought by activists may lead to the perception of a change in the direction of the business, instability or lack of continuity which may be exploited by our competitors, may cause concern to our current or potential customers or other partners, may result in the loss of potential business opportunities and may make it more difficult to attract and retain qualified personnel and business partners. These types of actions could divert our management’s attention from our business or cause significant fluctuations in our stock price based on temporary or speculative market perceptions or other factors that do not necessarily reflect the underlying fundamentals and prospects of our business, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our company.

We are an “emerging growth company,” and the reduced disclosure requirements applicable to emerging growth companies may make our common stock less attractive to investors.

We are an “emerging growth company,” or EGC, as defined in the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012, or the JOBS Act. We will remain an EGC until the earlier of: (i) the last day of the fiscal year in which we have total annual gross revenue of $1.07 billion or more; (ii) the last day of the fiscal year following the fifth anniversary of the date of the completion of our initial public offering; (iii) the date on which we have issued more than $1 billion in nonconvertible debt during the previous three years; or (iv) the date on which we are deemed to be a large accelerated filer under the rules of the SEC. For so long as we remain an EGC, we are permitted and intend to rely on exemptions from certain disclosure requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies. These exemptions include:

We may choose to take advantage of some, but not all, of the available exemptions. We have taken advantage of reduced reporting burdens in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. In particular, we have not included all of the executive compensation information that would be required if we were not an EGC. We cannot predict whether investors will find our common stock less attractive if we rely on certain or all of these exemptions. If some investors find our common stock less attractive as a result, there may be a less active trading market for our common stock and our stock price may be more volatile.

We continue to incur increased costs as a result of operating as a public company, and our management will be required to devote substantial time to new compliance initiatives.

As a public company, and particularly after we are no longer an EGC, we will incur significant legal, accounting and other expenses that we did not incur as a private company. In addition, the Sarbanes-Oxley Act and rules subsequently implemented by the SEC and Nasdaq have imposed various requirements on public companies, including establishment and maintenance of effective disclosure and financial controls and corporate governance practices. Our management and other personnel will need to devote a substantial amount of time to these compliance initiatives. Moreover, these rules and regulations will increase our legal and financial compliance costs and will make some activities more time-consuming and costly. For example, we expect that these rules and regulations may make it more difficult and more expensive for us to obtain director and officer liability insurance.

Pursuant to Section 404, we will be required to furnish a report by our management on our internal control over financial reporting, including an attestation report on internal control over financial reporting issued by our independent registered public accounting firm if certain criteria are met. However, while we remain an EGC, we will not be required to include an attestation report on internal control over financial reporting issued by our independent registered public accounting firm. To achieve compliance with Section 404 within the prescribed period, we will be engaged in a process to document and evaluate our internal control over financial reporting, which is both costly and challenging. In this regard, we will need to continue to dedicate internal resources, potentially engage outside consultants and adopt a detailed work plan to assess and document the adequacy of internal control over financial reporting, continue steps to improve control processes as appropriate, validate through testing that controls are functioning as documented and implement a continuous reporting and improvement process for internal control over financial reporting. Despite our efforts, there is a risk that neither we nor our independent registered public accounting firm will be able to conclude within the prescribed timeframe that our internal control over financial reporting is effective as required by Section 404. This could result in an adverse reaction in the financial markets due to a loss of confidence in the reliability of our financial statements.

Certain provisions of our Certificate of Incorporation may make it more difficult for a third party to effect a change-of-control.

Our Certificate of Incorporation authorizes our Board of Directors to issue up to 50,000,000 shares of preferred stock. The preferred stock may be issued in one or more series, the terms of which may be determined at the time of issuance by our Board of Directors without further action by the stockholders. These terms may include preferences as to dividends and liquidation, conversion rights, redemption rights and sinking fund provisions. The issuance of any preferred stock could diminish the rights of holders of our common stock, and therefore could reduce the value of such common stock. In addition, specific rights granted to future holders of preferred stock could be used to restrict our ability to merge with, or sell assets to, a third party. The ability of our Board of Directors to issue preferred stock could make it more difficult, delay, discourage, prevent or make it more costly to acquire or effect a change-in-control, which in turn could prevent our stockholders from recognizing a gain in the event that a favorable offer is extended and could materially and negatively affect the market price of our common stock.

Our bylaws designate certain courts as the sole and exclusive forum for certain types of actions and proceedings that may be initiated by our stockholders, which could limit our stockholders’ ability to obtain a favorable judicial forum for disputes with us or our directors, officers, or employees.

Our bylaws provide that, unless we consent in writing to an alternative forum, the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware (or, if the Court of Chancery does not have jurisdiction, the federal district court for the District of Delaware) will be the exclusive forum for: (i) any derivative action or proceeding brought on behalf of our company; (ii) any action asserting a claim for breach of a fiduciary duty owed by any director, officer, employee, or agent of ours to us or our stockholders; (iii) any action asserting a claim arising pursuant to any provision of the Delaware General Corporation Law, the Certificate of Incorporation, or the bylaws; and (iv) any action asserting a claim governed by the internal affairs doctrine (the “Delaware Forum Provision”). Our bylaws further provide that, unless we consent in writing to the selection of an alternative forum, the federal district courts of the United States of America shall be the sole and exclusive forum for resolving any complaint asserting a cause of action arising under the Securities Act (the “Federal Forum Provision”). In addition, our bylaws provide that any person or entity purchasing or otherwise acquiring any interest in shares of our common stock is deemed to have notice of and consented to the Delaware Forum Provision and the Federal Forum Provision.

Section 27 of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), creates exclusive federal jurisdiction over all suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or the rules and regulations thereunder. As a result, the Delaware Forum Provision will not apply to suits brought to enforce any duty or liability created by the Exchange Act or any other claim for which the federal courts have exclusive jurisdiction. We note, however, that there is uncertainty as to whether a court would enforce this provision and that investors cannot waive compliance with the federal securities laws and the rules and regulations thereunder.

We recognize that the Delaware Forum Provision and the Federal Forum Provision in our bylaws may impose additional litigation costs on stockholders in pursuing any such claims, particularly if the stockholders do not reside in or near the State of Delaware. Additionally, the Delaware Forum Provision and the Federal Forum Provision may limit our stockholders’ ability to bring a claim in a forum that they find favorable for disputes with us or our directors, officers or employees, which may discourage such lawsuits against us and our directors, officers and employees even though an action, if successful, might benefit our stockholders. In addition, while the Delaware Supreme Court ruled in March 2020 that federal forum selection provisions purporting to require claims under the Securities Act be brought in federal court were “facially valid” under Delaware law, there is uncertainty as to whether other courts will enforce the Federal Forum Provision. If the Federal Forum Provision is found to be unenforceable, we may incur additional costs associated with resolving such matters. The Federal Forum Provision may also impose additional litigation costs on stockholders who assert that the provision is not enforceable or invalid. The Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware and the United States District Court may also reach different judgments or results than would other courts, including courts where a stockholder considering an action may be located or would otherwise choose to bring the action, and such judgments may be more or less favorable to us than our stockholders.

Limitations on director and officer liability and indemnification of our officers and directors by us may discourage stockholders from bringing suit against an officer or director.

Our Certificate of Incorporation and bylaws provide that, to the fullest extent permitted by Delaware law, as it presently exists or may be amended from time to time, a director shall not be personally liable to us or our stockholders for monetary damages for any breach of fiduciary duty as a director. Under Delaware law, this limitation of liability does not extend to, among other things, acts or omissions which involve intentional misconduct, fraud or knowing violation of law, or unlawful payments of dividends. These provisions may discourage stockholders from bringing suit against a director or officer for breach of fiduciary duty and may reduce the likelihood of derivative litigation brought by stockholders on our behalf against a director or officer.

We are responsible for the indemnification of our officers and directors.

Should our officers and/or directors require us to contribute to their defense, we may be required to spend significant amounts of our capital. Our Certificate of Incorporation and bylaws also provide for the indemnification of our directors, officers, employees, and agents, under certain circumstances, against attorney’s fees and other expenses incurred by them in any litigation to which they become a party arising from their association with or activities on behalf of our company. This indemnification policy could result in substantial expenditures, which we may be unable to recoup. If these expenditures are significant or involve issues which result in significant liability for our key personnel, we may be unable to continue operating as a going concern.

Our ability to use our net operating losses and research and development credit carryforwards to offset future taxable income may limited, perhaps substantially.

In general, under Sections 382 and 383 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, as amended (or the Code), a corporation that undergoes an “ownership change,” generally defined as a greater than 50% change by value in its equity ownership over a three-year period, is subject to limitations on its ability to utilize its pre-change net operating losses (“NOLs”), carryforwards to offset future taxable income. Our existing NOLs may be subject to limitations arising from previous ownership changes. If we undergo, or are deemed to have previously undergone, an ownership change, our ability to utilize NOLs carryforwards could be limited (perhaps substantially) by Sections 382 and 383 of the Code. Additionally, future changes in our stock ownership, some of which might be beyond our control, could result in an ownership change under Section 382 of the Code. For these reasons, in the event we experience or are deemed to have experienced an “ownership change” for these purposes, we may not be able to utilize a material or even a substantial portion of the NOLs carryforwards, even if we attain profitability. We have not completed a Code Section 382 analysis regarding any limitation on our NOL carryforwards.

The financial and operational projections that we may make from time to time are subject to inherent risks.

The projections that our management may provide from time to time (including, but not limited to, those relating to market sizes and other financial or operational matters) reflect numerous assumptions made by management, including assumptions with respect to our specific as well as general business, economic, market and financial conditions and other matters, all of which are difficult to predict and many of which are beyond our control. Accordingly, there is a risk that the assumptions made in preparing the projections, or the projections themselves, will prove inaccurate. There will be differences between actual and projected results, and actual results may be materially different from those contained in the projections. The inclusion of the projections in this Annual Report should not be regarded as an indication that we or our management or representatives considered or consider the projections to be a reliable prediction of future events, and the projections should not be relied upon as such.

If we were to dissolve, the holders of our securities may lose all or substantial amounts of their investments.

If we were to dissolve as a corporation, as part of ceasing to do business or otherwise, we may be required to pay all amounts owed to any creditors before distributing any assets to the investors. There is a risk that in the event of such a dissolution, there will be insufficient funds to repay amounts owed to holders of any of our indebtedness and insufficient assets to distribute to our other investors, in which case investors could lose their entire investment.

An investment in our company may involve tax implications, and you are encouraged to consult your own advisors as neither we nor any related party is offering any tax assurances or guidance regarding our company or your investment.

The formation of our company and our financings, as well as an investment in our company generally, involves complex federal, state and local income tax considerations. Neither the Internal Revenue Service nor any state or local taxing authority has reviewed the transactions described herein, and may take different positions than the ones contemplated by management. You are strongly urged to consult your own tax and other advisors prior to investing, as neither we nor any of our officers, directors or related parties is offering you tax or similar advice, nor are any such persons making any representations and warranties regarding such matters.

Because we do not anticipate paying any cash dividends on our capital stock in the foreseeable future, capital appreciation, if any, will be your sole source of gain.

We have never declared or paid cash dividends on our capital stock. We currently intend to retain all of our future earnings, if any, to finance the growth and development of our business. This means that it is very unlikely that we will pay dividends on our shares of common stock. In addition, the terms of any future debt agreements may preclude us from paying dividends. As a result, capital appreciation, if any, of our common stock will be your sole source of gain for the foreseeable future.

If securities or industry analysts do not publish or cease publishing research or reports about us, our business or our market, or if they change their recommendations regarding our common stock adversely, the price of our common stock and trading volume could decline.

The trading market for our common stock may be influenced by the research and reports that securities or industry analysts may publish about us, our business, our market or our competitors. If any of the analysts who may cover us change their recommendation regarding our common stock adversely, or provide more favorable relative recommendations about our competitors, the price of our common stock would likely decline. If any analyst who may cover us was to cease coverage of our company or fail to regularly publish reports on us, we could lose visibility in the financial markets, which in turn could cause the price of our common stock or trading volume to decline.

Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments.

None.

Item 2. Properties.

We lease approximately 8,253 rentable square feet of office space from an unaffiliated third party for our corporate office located at 7921 Southpark Plaza, Suite 210, Littleton, Colorado. This lease expires in November 2027. Terms of the office lease currently provide for a base rent payment of $16,506 per month. We also lease approximately 2,220 rentable square feet of space from an unaffiliated third party for one of our Vivos Centers located at 4795 Larimer Parkway, Johnstown, Colorado. This lease expires in February 2025. Terms of the office lease provide for a base rent payment of $3,608 per month and a share of the buildings operating expenses such as taxes and maintenance of $2,035 per month. We also lease 3,643 rentable square feet of space from an unaffiliated third party for our Vivos Center located at 9135 Ridgeline Boulevard, Highlands Ranch, Colorado. This lease expires in January 2029. Terms of the office provide for a base rent payment of $5,465 per month and a share of the building’s operating expenses such as taxes and maintenance of $3,273 per month. Effective May 20, 2019, we entered into a lease at 7001 Tower Road, Denver, Colorado for 14,732 rentable square feet for the Vivos Institute and amended the lease effective March 11, 2022 to increase the premises by 9,129 rentable square feet for a total of 23,861 rentable square feet. This facility was built primarily as a training facility where our VIPs are trained and the additional square footage is for office space and fulfillment. We believe that these facilities are adequate for our current and near-term future needs.

Item 3. Legal Proceedings.

From time to time, we may become involved in various lawsuits and legal proceedings which arise in the ordinary course of business. Below is a description of our outstanding pending litigation matters. Litigation is subject to inherent uncertainties and an adverse result in the below described or other matters may arise from time to time that may harm our business.

On April 13, 2021, the Washington State Department of Financial Institutions (“WSDFI”) sent a letter and subpoena requesting that we produce certain documents and records. WSDFI is investigating certain sales of our common stock by a previous employee and independent contractor in Washington prior to our initial public offering. This subject matter in general (including activities of such previous employee and independent contractor) had been among the issues previously investigated by a joint committee of our Board of Directors and internal and external legal counsel that commenced in February 2020 and, pursuant to the findings and recommendations of the joint committee, led to the company implementing in April 2020 certain enhanced corporate governance policies (in the form of a formal written policy on private stock sales requiring prior approval of our internal or external legal counsel and changes to certain organizational matters). We have cooperated with WSDFI regarding this investigation, but during and subsequent to the year ended December 31, 2022, we have not been made aware of any developments with the investigation.

On June 5, 2020, we filed suit against Ortho-Tain, Inc. (“Ortho-Tain”) in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado seeking relief from certain false, threatening, and defamatory statements to our business affiliate, Benco Dental (“Benco”). We believe such statements have interfered with our business relationship and contract, causing harm to our reputation, loss of goodwill, and unspecified monetary damages. On February 12, 2021, we amended our complaint to add claims for false advertising and unfair business practices, as well as additional variants of the original claims to address Ortho-Tain’s alleged false advertising campaign against us in the fall of 2020. Our amended complaint seeks permanent injunctive relief to prevent what we believe are defamatory statements and interference with our business relationships by Ortho-Tain. We further seek declaratory relief to refute the defendant’s false allegations, as well as monetary damages. Prior to filing suit, we worked collaboratively with legal counsel at Benco to address and resolve this matter. Such efforts were unsuccessful. On February 26, 2021, Ortho-Tain, Inc. filed a motion to dismiss the amended complaint. We opposed the motion. On June 21, 2022, the Tenth Circuit entered an order and judgment. Pursuant to such order, the appeal was terminated and the case remanded to the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado for further proceedings. On July 13, 2022, the Clerk of Court for the Tenth Circuit transferred jurisdiction back to the District Court. On February 1, 2023, Ortho-Tain filed a motion to re-open the district court case and set a status conference. On February 22, 2023, Vivos filed a notice of non-opposition joining that request. The parties are currently awaiting further action from the district court, including a new decision on Ortho-Tain’s motion to dismiss.

On July 22, 2020 Ortho-Tain, Inc. filed a Complaint at Law in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois naming Vivos, along with the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, R. Kirk Huntsman, Benco Dental Supply Co., Dr. Brian Kraft, Dr. Ben Miraglia, and Dr. Mark Musso. The Ortho-Tain complaint alleges violation of the Lanham Act and an alleged civil conspiracy among the defendants to violate the Lanham Act by an alleged false designation of origin related to a presentation given by Dr. Brian Kraft at an event sponsored by the Company and Benco Dental. Ortho-Tain also alleges that the actions of the defendants, including the Company, diverted sales from Ortho-Tain, deprived Ortho-Tain of advertising value and resulted in a loss of goodwill to Ortho-Tain. Ortho-Tain also alleges two separate breach of contract actions against Dr. Brian Kraft and the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, R. Kirk Huntsman. On September 9, 2020, the Company moved to dismiss the claims against it. On May 14, 2021, the United States District Judge entered an order granting the Company’s motion to stay this case pending the outcome of a substantially similar, first-filed suit by the Company pending in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado. In light of the stay, the Court denied, without prejudice, the Company’s pending motion to dismiss. On September 3, 2021, on December 2, 2021, on April 4, 2022, on July 5, 2022, on September 19, 2022, and on November 22, 2022 the Court extended the stay. On March 20, 2023, the Parties submitted their joint status report. In their status report, the Parties requested that the Court reconsider Defendants’ motions to dismiss and Plaintiff’s motion to strike which were fully briefed at the time the case was stayed. Defendants also requested a stay of discovery pending a ruling on the motions to dismiss. The Parties are awaiting further direction from the Court.

On May 17, 2021, plaintiff Steven Rospond (“Rospond”) filed a lawsuit against an entity called Proceed Finance asserting claims for breach of contract and violation of the Kansas Consumer Protection Act against Defendants Proceed Finance and Security First Bank regarding a $50,000 loan Rospond took to pay for services provided by our company. Rospond sent us a subpoena seeking various documents relating to the services provided by us to which it responded and provided documents on December 21, 2021. In an Order dated October 26, 2021, the court granted Rospond an extension of up to seven days after we delivered documents to Rospond within which to amend his lawsuit, including to assert claims against us. To date, we have no knowledge of Rospond asserting any claims against us. According to the court’s docket, this lawsuit was dismissed for lack of prosecution on June 15, 2022.

On May 23, 2022, Dr. G. David Singh (“Dr. Singh”), the founder and former director and Chief Medical Officer of our company, through his legal counsel, sent a demand letter (the “Demand Letter”) to us. The Demand Letter asserted certain allegations, including an assertion that contested our decision to terminate Dr. Singh’s employment for cause in March 2022. As previously disclosed, on March 1, 2022, with the unanimous approval of our Board of Directors, we provided notice of termination of Dr. Singh’s employment with our company “for cause” pursuant to the terms Dr. Singh’s amended and restated employment agreement with us (the “Employment Agreement”). In the Demand Letter, Dr. Singh also asserted certain potential claims against us and/or R. Kirk Huntsman, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, including for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, defamation and other civil claims and remedies which could include severance payments to Dr. Singh and other money relief if Dr. Singh’s claims are upheld in arbitration. We believe that Dr. Singh’s assertions completely lack merit in fact or law and further believes that Dr. Singh will be unable to establish actionable damages. Further, we believe that several provisions of Dr. Singh’s Employment Agreement limit or restrict claims Dr. Singh is alleging, including a mandatory arbitration clause and exclusive remedy provisions. However, no assurances can be given that our positions regarding the Demand Letter or the Employment Agreement will be upheld by an arbitrator. The parties engaged in voluntary mediation, with no resolution reached.

On November 3, 2022, the Company initiated arbitration with the American Arbitration Association against Dr. Gurdev Dave Singh. The Company’s Demand for Arbitration alleges that Dr. Singh’s behaviors and actions constituted a breach of the Employment Agreement as well as a breach of a fiduciary duty to which he owed the Company, and requests that the Arbitrator declare that Dr. Singh’s sole remedy or relief against the Company is what was agreed upon in the Employment Agreement. On December 7, 2022, Dr. Singh filed a Cross-Complaint in the Arbitration alleging claims against the Company for breach of contract, employment discrimination, and violation of the Colorado Wage Act. The Arbitrator has been selected and pursuant to a scheduling conference held on February 15, 2023, the case has been tentatively set for a four-day Arbitration commencing on January 16, 2024.

On January 23, 2023, we filed a complaint against Dr. Singh and Dr. Rod Willey in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado alleging that Dr. Singh violated his employment agreement with Vivos when he and Dr. Willey formed a competing venture, named Koala Plus. Additionally, we contend that both defendants violated state and federal trade secret laws when they formed this competing business and attempted to unlawfully use our trade secrets to divert business away from Vivos. We believe the defendants actions have caused unspecified monetary damages. Dr. Singh’s responsive pleading is due on March 31, 2023. Dr. Willey failed to timely respond and Vivos moved for a Clerk’s Entry of Default, which was granted on March 24, 2023.

Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures.

Not applicable.

PART II

Item 5. Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities.

Our common stock is currently listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market under the symbol “VVOS”. On March 28, 2023, the last reported sale price of the shares of our common stock as reported on NASDAQ was $0.32 per share.

Holders of Record

On March 28, 2023, we had approximately 560 stockholders of record. On March 28, 2023, there were 29,678,786 shares of our common stock issued and outstanding. In addition, we believe that a significant number of beneficial owners of our common stock hold their shares in street name.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

The following is a summary of transactions by us within the past three years involving sales or our securities that were not registered under the Securities Act. All of the sales listed below were made pursuant to an exemption from registration afforded by Section 4(a)(2) of the Securities Act and/or Regulation D thereunder in that (i) none of the offers and sales constituted a public offering of securities and/or (ii) the securities were only offered and sold to accredited investors.

In November 2020, Vivos Therapeutics issued warrants to certain shareholders to purchase an aggregate of 325,000 shares of common stock. Such warrants are substantially similar to the Series B Warrants except such warrants will be exercisable for a period of 36 months, beginning six months after the consummation of the initial public offering and ending on the forty-second month anniversary of the consummation of our initial public offering. See “Management—October 2020 Derivative Demand and Settlement” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020, filed with the SEC on March 25, 2021 for further information on the issuance of these warrants.

On March 12, 2021, Vivos Therapeutics granted options to purchase up to 145,000 shares of common stock at an exercise price of $7.50 share in the following amounts to employees and consultants, 120,000 to two employees (100,000 and 20,000 respectively) with standard vesting on each of the following dates: (i) 20% as of the date of grant and (ii) 20% at the end of each year following the date of grant, and 25,000 to a consultant with standard vesting on each of the following dates: (i) 20% as of the date of grant and (ii) 20% at the end of each year following the date of grant.

On March 29, 2021 and as part of the acquisition of certain assets from, and the entry into related agreements with, MyoCorrect, LLC and its affiliates, Vivos Therapeutics issued three-year warrants to purchase 200,000 shares of our common stock with an exercise price of $7.50 per share. 25,000 of these warrants vested initially upon issuance, but the remainder only vest and become exercisable upon the achievement of pre-determined performance metrics related to the utilization of MyoCorrect. These warrants may be exercised only for cash, and the exercise price is subject to customary, stock-based anti-dilution protection.

On April 14, 2021 and as part of the acquisition of certain assets from, and the entry into related agreements with, Lyon Management & Consulting, LLC and its affiliates, we issued three year warrants to purchase 25,000 shares of our common stock with an exercise price of $8.90 per share. 5,000 of these warrants vested initially upon issuance, but the remainder only vest and become exercisable at the end of each anniversary year following the issuance date. These warrants may be exercised only for cash, and the exercise price is subject to customary, stock-based anti-dilution protection.

During the period from March 12, 2021 through March 30, 2021, Vivos Therapeutics issued warrants to purchase an aggregate of 95,000 shares of common stock to contractors and consultants in exchange for services. These warrants have an exercise price of $7.50 per share. 45,000 of these warrants vested initially upon issuance, but the remainder only vest and become exercisable at the end of each anniversary year following the issuance date. These warrants may be exercised only for cash, and the exercise price is subject to customary, stock-based anti-dilution protection.

On February 25, 2022 the Company issued 290,000 stock options to certain employees and officers with an exercise price of $3.27 per share, one-fifth vested on the date of grant, and one-fifth vests annually through February 25, 2026. Additionally, the Company issued warrants to purchase 80,000 shares of the Company’s common stock to certain consultants for sales consulting services with an exercise price of $3.27 per share, vesting monthly over one year term of the agreement. These warrants may be exercised only for cash, and the exercise price is subject to customary, stock-based anti-dilution protection.

On May 12, 2022, the Company issued 265,000 stock options to certain employees and officers with an exercise price of $1.29 per share, one-fifth vested on the date of grant, and one-fifth vests annually through May 12, 2027. Additionally, the Company issued warrants to purchase 130,000 shares of the Company’s common stock to certain consultants for sales consulting services with an exercise price of $1.29 per share. 40,000 of these warrants vested immediately upon issuance, 60,000 of these warrants vest monthly over a six month term and 30,000 of these warrants vest monthly over one year term of the agreement. These warrants may be exercised only for cash, and the exercise price is subject to customary, stock-based anti-dilution protection.

On July 8, 2022, the Company issued 15,000 stock options to a certain employee with an exercise price of $1.45 per share, one-fifth vested on the date of grant, and one-fifth vests annually through July 8, 2027.

On December 23, 2022, the Company issued 1,404,168 stock options to certain employees and officers with an exercise price of $0.48 per share, 787,500 of these options vested one-fifth on the date of grant, and one-fifth vests annually through December 23, 2026, 160,000 of these options vested 50% on the date of grant, and 25% vest on March 23, 2023, and the remaining 25% vest on June 23, 2023, and 456,668 of these options vested immediately upon issuance. Additionally, the Company issued warrants to purchase 850,000 shares of the Company’s common stock to certain consultants for sales consulting services with an exercise price of $0.48 per share. 557,500 of these warrants vested immediately upon issuance, 27,500 of these warrants vest quarterly over one year term, 115,000 of these warrants vest quarterly over two year term of the agreement, 50,000 of these warrants vest annually over two year term, and 100,000 of these warrants exercisable upon the achievement of pre-determined performance metrics. These warrants may be exercised only for cash, and the exercise price is subject to customary, stock-based anti-dilution protection.

On January 5, 2023, the Company, closed a private placement (the “Private Placement”) pursuant to which the Company agreed sell up to an aggregate of $8,000,000 of securities of the Company of units. Each unit consists of one share of the Company’s common stock, $0.0001 par value (or a pre-funded warrant to purchase one share of Common Stock) (the “Pre-Funded Warrants”) and one warrant exercisable for one share Common Stock (the “Common Stock Purchase Warrants” and together with the Pre-Funded Warrants, the “Warrants”). No actual units will be issued in the Private Placement.

Pursuant to the Purchase Agreement, the Company agreed to issue and sell in the Private Placement 2,000,000 Shares, Pre-Funded Warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 4,666,667 shares of Common Stock and Common Stock Purchase Warrants to purchase up to an aggregate of 6,666,667 shares of Common Stock (collectively with the shares of Common Stock underlying the Pre-Funded Warrants and the Warrants, the “Warrant Shares”). The purchase price per Share and associated Common Stock Purchase Warrant was $1.20, and the purchase price per Pre-Funded Warrant and associated Common Stock Purchase Warrant was $1.1999.

Each Common Stock Purchase Warrant entitles the holder, for a period of five years and 6 months, to purchase one share of Common Stock at an exercise price of $1.20 per share. Each Pre-Funded Warrant entitles the holder, for a period until all Pre-Funded Warrants are exercised, to purchase one share of Common Stock at an exercise price of $0.0001 per share. The Warrants also contain customary beneficial ownership limitations that may be waived at the option of each holder upon 61 days’ notice to the Company.

Securities Authorized for Issuance under Equity Compensation Plans

The following information is provided as of December 31, 2022, regarding our common stock that may be issued under our 2017 stock and option award plan (the “2017 Plan”), and our 2019 stock and option award plan (the “2019 Plan”).

Dividend Policy

As of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we have not paid any cash dividends to stockholders. The declaration of any future cash dividend will be at the discretion of our Board of Directors and will depend upon our earnings, if any, our capital requirements and financial position, the general economic conditions, and other pertinent conditions. It is our present intention not to pay any cash dividends in the foreseeable future, but rather to reinvest earnings, if any, in our business operations.

Purchases of Equity Securities by the Issuer and Affiliated Purchasers.

None.

Item 6. Reserved.

Item 7. Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

The following discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with our financial statements and the related notes to those statements included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. In addition to historical financial information, the following discussion and analysis contains forward-looking statements that involve risks, uncertainties, and assumptions. Some of the numbers included herein have been rounded for the convenience of presentation. Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of many factors, including those discussed under Part I. “Item 1A. Risk Factors’’ and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Overview

We are a revenue stage medical technology company focused on the development and commercialization of innovative treatment alternatives for patients with cranial and/or dentofacial abnormalities and/or patients diagnosed with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea (“OSA”) and snoring in adults. We believe our technologies and conventions represent a significant improvement in the treatment of mild to moderate OSA versus other treatments such as continuous positive airway pressure (“CPAP”) or palliative oral appliance therapies. Our alternative treatments are part of The Vivos Method.

The Vivos Method is an advanced therapeutic protocol, which often combines the use of customized oral appliance specifications and proprietary clinical treatments developed by our company and prescribed by specially trained dentists in cooperation with their medical colleagues. Published studies have shown that using our customized appliances and clinical treatments led to significantly lower Apnea Hypopnea Index scores and improve other conditions associated with OSA. Our patented oral appliances have proven effective (within the scope of the FDA cleared uses) in over 33,000 patients treated worldwide by more than 1,700 trained dentists.

Our business model is focused around dentists, and our program to train independent dentists and offer them other value-added services in connection with their ordering and use of The Vivos Method for patients is called the Vivos Integrated Practice (“VIP”) program.

Impact of COVID-19

In December 2019, a novel strain of coronavirus known as COVID-19 was reported to have surfaced in China, and by March 2020 the spread of the virus resulted in a world-wide pandemic. By March 2020, the U.S. economy had been largely shut down by mass quarantines and government mandated stay-in-place orders (the “Orders”) to halt the spread of the virus, now widely acknowledged to have been generally ineffective, and in many ways, harmful. As a result, nearly all of these Orders have been relaxed or lifted, but there is considerable uncertainty about whether the Orders will be reinstated should a new COVID-19 variant or entirely new virus emerge.

Our business was materially impacted by COVID-19 in 2020 and to some extent in 2021due to the actions of governmental bodies that mandated quarantines and lockdowns that resulted in many of our VIPs and potential VIPs having to close their offices. The impact of COVID-19 on our business diminished somewhat as 2022 progressed. However, it appears that the latest COVID-19 subvariants evoke generally milder symptoms and do not pose the same health or economic threat as previous strains. However, the residual effects of the pandemic on dental workforce availability as well as patient precautionary measures continued to negatively impact our VIP dental practices and our revenue across the U.S. and Canada during 2022. We believe new enrollments during the fourth quarter of 2022 were negatively impacted by the ongoing overall workforce uncertainties in the dental market. As such, the long-term financial impact on our business of COVID-19 as well as these other matters cannot reasonably be fully estimated at this time.

Material Items, Trends and Risks Impacting Our Business

We believe that the following items and trends may be useful in better understanding our results of operations.

New VIP Enrollments (Service Revenue). Enrolling denta1 practices as VIPs is the first step in our ability to generate new revenue. As part of the VIP enrollment fee, we enter into a service contract with VIPs under which they receive training on the use of the Vivos treatment modalities. VIPs have the ability to start generating revenue for us and themselves after this training. To entice dentists to enroll as VIPs, we have worked with different marketing programs (which we generally call a “discovery track”) with respect to the payment of VIPs enrollment fee, including discounts and payment plans. Once VIPs execute their VIP enrollment agreement, the discovery track allows the VIP 45 to 60 days to obtain financing and pay the enrollment fee. Ongoing support and additional training is provided throughout the year under the services contract, which includes access to our proprietary Airway Intelligence Services, which provides the VIP with resources to help simplify the sleep apnea diagnostic and Vivos treatment planning process.

In addition to enrollment service revenue, we offer additional services, such as our Billing Intelligence Services offering, and MyoCorrect orofacial myofunctional therapy services, which was introduced in April 2021. Revenue for these services is recognized as the Company’s performance obligations are satisfied in accordance with ASC 606.

We are also engaging in strategic collaborations to market the benefits of the Vivos treatment modalities and VIP enrollment to dentists, including our cooperative relationships with various medical providers to deliver diagnostic and medical consultation services to people across North America who suffer from OSA.

We recognize revenue on VIP enrollments once the contract is executed, payment is received, and as the Company’s performance obligations are satisfied in accordance with ASC 606.

New VIP Case Starts (Product Revenue). Enrolling new VIPs is key to our ability to generate revenue, but equally as important is the number of Vivos treatment case starts that our VIPs commence, as these lead to appliance orders and related revenue. Once a VIP is fully trained, we encourage them to start cases. However, our experience has been that VIPs typically start slowly as they introduce The Vivos Method into their practices. While we work with VIPs to screen their patients for OSA with our SleepImage^® home sleep apnea ring test (which we expect will encourage Vivos Method case starts), not all VIPs incorporate our The Vivos Method into their practices at the same rate. We utilize Practice Advisors to help VIPs with onboarding and starting and increasing case starts over time. We believe VIPs can recoup their investment in VIP enrollment with approximately eight Vivos Method case starts, but as noted above, many VIPs start and also maintain their case starts at a significantly slower rate. We presently have a concentration of active VIPs who regularly start new Vivos Method treatment cases, with approximately forty-eight percent (48%) of VIPs accounting for all new case starts during the year ended December 31, 2022. We are working not only to increase the number of VIPs overall, but the number of active VIPs in terms of case starts. More active VIPs are also more likely to take advantage of our other service revenue generating offerings such as MyoCorrect orofacial myofunctional therapy and medical Billing Intelligence Services.

Marketing to DSOs. During the second half of 2021, we increased our efforts to market The Vivos Method and related products and services to larger dental support organizations (“DSOs”). Marketing to DSOs creates an opportunity to enroll and onboard multiple dental practices as VIPs under one common ownership structure. This would allow us to leverage training and support across multiple VIP practices and gain economies of scale with the goal of faster growth, both in VIP enrollments and in Vivos case starts. As of the end of 2022, we believe we have made important progress in penetrating this market, but as we cautioned previously, DSOs tend to move slowly when adopting new technologies or programs. Our other dentist enrollment program, which we refer to as the Airway Alliance Program (“AAP”), was also established in the fourth quarter of 2021 and launched in the first quarter of 2022. This program is designed to attract the vast majority of the estimated 200,000 U.S. and Canadian dentists who are being strongly encouraged by the American Dental Association to screen their patients for sleep apnea. The AAP gives these dentists the simple yet profitable way to screen their patients for mild to moderate OSA using the SleepImage^® home sleep test. Patients with mild to moderate OSA can be referred to a fully trained local VIP dentist for treatment. The AAP program did not contribute meaningfully to revenue during 2022.

Inflation. We believe the U.S. has entered a period of inflation which has increased (and may continue to increase) our and our suppliers’ costs as well as the end cost of our products to consumers. To date, we have been able to manage inflation risk without a material adverse impact on our business or results of operations. However, inflationary pressures (including increases in the price of raw material components of our appliances) made it necessary for us to adjust our standard pricing for our appliance products effective May 1, 2022. The full impact of such price adjustments on sales or demand for our products is not fully known at this time and may require us to adjust other aspects of our business as we seek to grow revenue and, ultimately, achieve profitability and positive cash flow from operations. In the fourth quarter of 2022, we rolled back a portion of the pricing increase of May in order to stimulate demand.

An additional inflation-related risk is the Federal Reserve’s response, which up to this point has been to raise interest rates. Such actions have, in times past, created unintended consequences in terms of the impact on housing starts, overall manufacturing, capital markets, and banking. If such disruptions become systemic, as occurred in the 2008 Great Recession, then the impact on our Revenue, Earnings and access to Capital Markets of both inflation and inflation-fighting responses would be impossible to know or calculate.

Supply Chain. From time to time, we may experience supply chain challenges due to forces beyond our control. For example, the Suez Canal blockage earlier in 2021 caused some delay in shipments of SleepImage^® rings from China. Overall, however, as our appliances are made in the U.S., we have not experienced significant supply chain issues as a result of COVID-19 or otherwise, although this may change in future periods.

Seasonality. We believe that the patient volumes of our VIPs will be sensitive to seasonal fluctuations in urgent care and primary care activity. Typically, the fourth quarter tends to be one where we see higher enrollment levels for new VIP dentists, however, as previously mentioned, in Q4 of 2022 we did not see that same pattern emerge. The first quarter of each year tends to be our weakest quarter of the year for new enrollments, and to a certain extent, appliance sales as well. Winter months see a higher occurrence of influenza, bronchitis, pneumonia and similar illnesses; however, the timing and severity of these outbreaks vary dramatically. Additionally, as consumers shift toward high deductible insurance plans, they are responsible for a greater percentage of their bill, particularly in the early months of the year before other healthcare spending has occurred, which may lead to lower than expected patient volume or an increase in bad debt expense during that period. Our quarterly operating results may fluctuate in the future depending on these and other factors.

Cybersecurity. We have established procedures to escalate enterprise level issues, including cybersecurity matters, to the appropriate management levels within our organization and our Board of Directors, or members or committees thereof, as appropriate. Under our framework, cybersecurity issues, including those involving vulnerabilities introduced by our use of third-party software, are analyzed by subject matter experts for potential financial, operational, and reputational risks, based on, among other factors, the nature of the matter and breadth of impact. Matters determined to present potential material impacts to our financial results, operations, and/or reputation are immediately reported by management to the Board of Directors, or individual members of committees thereof, as appropriate, in accordance with our escalation framework. In addition, we have established procedures to ensure that members of management responsible for overseeing the effectiveness of disclosure controls are informed in a timely manner of known cybersecurity risks and incidents that may materially impact our operations and that timely public disclosure is made, as appropriate.

War in Ukraine. In addition, worldwide supply chain constraints and economic and capital markets uncertainty arising out of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022 have emerged as new barriers to long-term economic recovery. If an economic recession or depression commences and is sustained, it could have a material adverse effect on our business as demand for our products could decrease. Capital markets uncertainty, with public stock price decreases and volatility, could make it more difficult for us to raise needed capital at the appropriate time.

Key Components of Consolidated Statements of Operations

Net revenue. We recognize revenue when we satisfy our performance obligations over time as our customers receive the benefit of the promised goods and services, which generally occurs over a short period of time. Performance obligations with respect to appliance sales are typically satisfied by shipping or delivering products to our VIPs or, in the case of enrollment or service revenue, upon our satisfaction of performance obligations associated with VIP enrollments. Revenue consists of the gross sales price, net of estimated allowances, discounts, and personal rebates that are accounted for as a reduction from the gross sale price.

Cost of sales. Cost of goods sold primarily consists of direct costs attributable to the purchase from third party suppliers and related products. It also includes freight costs, fulfillment, distribution, and warehousing costs related to products sold.

Sales and marketing. Sales and marketing costs primarily consist of personnel costs for employees engaged in sales and marketing activities, commissions, advertising and marketing costs, website enhancements, and conferences for our sales and marketing staff.

General and administrative expenses. General and administrative (“G&A”) expenses consist primarily of personnel costs for our administrative, human resources, finance and accounting employees, and executives. General and administrative expenses also include contract labor and consulting costs, travel-related expenses, legal, auditing and other professional fees, rent and facilities costs, repairs and maintenance, and general corporate expenses.

Depreciation and amortization expense. Depreciation and amortization expense is comprised of depreciation expense related to property and equipment, amortization expense related to leasehold improvements, and amortization expense related to identifiable intangible assets.

Other income. Other income relates to the PPP loan forgiven in January 2022 by the SBA.

Restatement of March 30, 2022 Financial Statements

As described in the Explanatory Note and Note 2, “Restatement of Consolidated Financial Statement,” in Item 1 of Part 1 of Amendment No. 1 to our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the three months ended March 31, 2022, originally filed with the SEC on May 16, 2022 and such Amendment No. 1 being filed on November 25, 2022 (the “10-Q/A”), we determined it was necessary to restate our financial statements for the three months ended March 31, 2022.

The restatement of the previously filed financial statements was due to our management (with the concurrent of the Audit Committee of our Board of Directors) determining that our existing revenue recognition policy was not consistent with the guidance in ASC 606. After analyzing our contracts using the five-step process in ASC 606, we have determined that for VIP enrollment contracts, it is necessary for us to separately identify the performance obligations and recognize the revenue as the performance obligations are satisfied or over the customer life as applicable. We identified a material weakness related to the operating effectiveness of our review controls in that we did not put the appropriate resources in place to be able to identify technical accounting issues and perform review functions appropriately for the revenue recognition issue described above and for those items which we had previously identified in Part II, Item 9A of our Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021.

Results of Operations

Comparison of Years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021

Our consolidated statements of operations for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 are presented below (dollars in thousands):

Revenue

Revenue decreased approximately $0.8 million, or 5%, to approximately $16 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to $16.9 million for year ended December 31, 2021. Revenue during 2022 decreased due to a decrease of approximately $3.7 million in VIP enrollment revenue, as well as an adjustment to our revenue recognition methodology which resulted in a cumulative decrease of approximately $0.4 million in VIP revenue related to prior years. This was offset by an increase of 29% or approximately $1.8 million attributable to higher appliance sales to VIPs, (ii) an increase of approximately $0.1 million in revenue from our two company-owned dental centers, (iii) an increase of approximately $0.3 million in BIS revenue, (iv) a $0.6 million increase in myofunctional therapy service revenue, (iv) and increase of approximately $0.4 million in sleep testing services.

During the year ended December 31, 2022, we enrolled 196 VIPs and recognized VIP revenue of approximately $4.8 million, a decrease of 43% in enrollment revenue, compared to the year ended December 31, 2021, when we enrolled 197 VIPs for a total of approximately $8.5 million. Revenue growth was impacted by a change in our revenue methodology adopted during 2022, which affected the contract life and allocation of performance obligations to different categories. In December 2021, the American Dental Association reported that just 60% of dental practices were open and operating with business as usual. Another industry source reported 92% of dental practices were struggling to hire or replace hygienists, and 77% reported difficulty hiring front desk positions. These challenges across the dental community have impacted both doctor enrollments and patient case starts, as replacement dental personnel must be trained in The Vivos Method.

For the year ended December 31, 2022, we sold 12,281 oral appliance arches for a total of approximately $7.8 million, a 29% increase from the year ended December 31, 2021 when we sold 11,355 oral appliance arches for a total of approximately $6.0 million. Lastly, for the year ended December 31, 2022 we had approximately $0.6 million in center revenue, compared to approximately $0.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, and approximately $1.0 million in our orofacial myofunctional therapy revenue, compared to $0.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021 due to the introduction of the service in 2021 and increased demand for these services.

Cost of Sales and Gross Profit

Cost of sales increased by approximately $1.7 million to approximately $6.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to approximately $4.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. This increase was primarily due to product and services costs associated with higher sales volume of our appliances, additional costs associated with VIP enrollments, and billing and myofunctional therapy revenue. Cost of sales includes approximately $0.8 million related to costs associated with appliances, an increase of approximately $0.8 million related to costs associated with VIP enrollment and training, and approximately $0.7 million increase related to our new program (started in 2022) related to the sale and leasing of SleepImage rings.

For the year ended December 31, 2022, gross profit decreased by approximately $2.6 million to $10 million. This decrease was attributable to an increase in cost of sales of $1.7 million explained above, coupled with a decrease in revenue of approximately $0.8 million. Gross margin decreased to 63% for the year ended December 31, 2022 compared to 75% for the year ended December 31, 2021, primarily driven by the higher costs associated with appliances due to increase in cost of raw materials and VIP enrollments and new incentives deployed to increase VIP enrollments.

General and Administrative Expenses

General and administrative expenses increased approximately $3.3 million, or approximately 13%, to approximately $29 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, as compared to $25.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. The primary driver of this increase was an increase in personnel and related compensation of approximately $2.4 million, including salaries and benefits, paid time off, stock-based compensation, and other employee-related expenses. The increase in payroll related costs were mainly a result of increased headcount in 2022 (from 137 average headcount at December 31, 2021 to 167 average headcount at December 31, 2022). Other drivers of the increase in general and administrative expenses included an increase of approximately $1.4 million to general corporate costs such as consulting and professional fees, an increase of approximately $1.0 million related to travel expenses, and an increase of approximately $0.6 million for information and technology supplies, equipment, rent, research as well as corporate expenses such as filing fees, subscriptions, and office expenses, offset by a decrease of approximately $0.9 million in bad debt expense and approximately $0.3 million in bank and merchant fees. These increases were due to the growth of the company combined with higher headcount and expenses associated with being a public company.

Sales and Marketing

Sales and marketing expense decreased by $0.2 million to $5.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2022, compared to $5.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. This decrease relates to approximately $1.6 million reduction in marketing campaigns, materials and product samples, which was offset by an increase of approximately $0.6 million on redesigning and improving the Vivos website, and approximately $0.2 million on print media and marketing supplies.

Depreciation and Amortization

Depreciation and amortization expense was approximately $0.7 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021. The change in depreciation expense is related to new assets placed into service which was offset by lower depreciation expense related to legacy assets that were retired during the year.

PPP Loan Forgiveness

PPP loan forgiveness was approximately $1.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 when compared to none for the year ended December 31, 2021. The increase is due to the PPP loan forgiven by the SBA in its entirety.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

The financial statements have been prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States, which contemplate continuation of our company as a going concern. We have incurred losses since inception, including $20.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2021, resulting in an accumulated deficit of $55.6 million as of December 31, 2021. As of December 31, 2022, we had an accumulated deficit of $79.5 million, and approximately $3.5 million in cash, which will not be sufficient to fund our operations and strategic objectives over the next twelve months from the date of issuance of these financial statements. Without additional financing, these factors raise substantial doubt regarding our ability to continue as a going concern.

We will be required to obtain additional financing and expect to satisfy our cash needs primarily from the issuance of equity securities or indebtedness in order to sustain operations until we can achieve profitability and positive cash flows, if ever. There can be no assurances, however, that adequate additional funding will be available on favorable terms, or at all. If such funds are not available in the future, we may be required to delay, significantly modify or terminate our operations, all of which could have a material adverse effect on our company.

We do not have any off-balance sheet arrangements, as defined by applicable regulations of the SEC, that are reasonably likely to have a current or future material effect on our financial condition, results of operations, liquidity, capital expenditures or capital resources.

Cash Flows

The following table presents a summary of our cash flow for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021 (in thousands):

Net cash used in operating activities of approximately 19.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2022 is an increase of approximately $3.9 million compared to net cash used in operating activities of approximately $15.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2021. This increase is due primarily to the increase in our net loss of approximately $3.6 million, a decrease of approximately $0.9 million in accrued expenses due to increase in consulting fees, legal fees, third party lab fees associated with the production of our appliances, offset by an increase of approximately $0.7 million in accounts receivable related to the MID clinics and VIP enrollments under payment plans, an increase of approximately $0.5 million in accounts payable, an increase of approximately $0.1 million in prepaid expenses and current assets primarily driven by annual renewals of subscriptions and other services, and an increase of approximately $0.5 million due to the collection of a tenant improvement allowance related to the build-out of the Vivos Institute in Denver, Colorado.

For the year ended December 31, 2022, net cash used in investing activities consisted of capital expenditures for software of $0.9 million related to the development of software for internal use, which is expected to be placed in service in mid-2023. This compares to net cash used in investing activities for the year ended December 31, 2021 of $2.6 million due to capital expenditures for leasehold improvements and equipment related to The Vivos Institute.

For the year ended December 31, 2022, there was no cash used in financing activities. For the year ended December 31, 2021, net cash provided by financing activities of $24.2 million was primarily attributable to proceeds of $25.4 million from the issuance of Common Stock in our follow-on public offering in May 2021 and proceeds from the exercise of stock options of $0.3 million.

Critical Accounting Policies Involving Management Estimates and Assumptions

Basis of Presentation and Consolidation

The accompanying consolidated financial statements, which include the accounts of the Company and its wholly owned subsidiaries (BioModeling, First Vivos, Vivos Therapeutics (Canada) Inc., Vivos Management and Development, LLC, Vivos Del Mar Management, LLC, Vivos Modesto Management, LLC, Vivos Therapeutics DSO LLC, a Colorado limited liability company, and Vivos Airway Alliances, LLC, a Colorado limited liability company), are prepared in conformity with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States of America (“U.S. GAAP”). All significant intercompany balances and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

Emerging Growth Company Status

The Company is an “emerging growth company,” as defined in Section 2(a) of the Securities Act, as modified by the Jumpstart Our Business Startups Act of 2012 (the “JOBS Act”), and it may take advantage of certain exemptions from various reporting requirements that are applicable to other public companies that are not emerging growth companies including, but not limited to, not being required to comply with the auditor attestation requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 (the “Sarbanes-Oxley Act”), reduced disclosure obligations regarding executive compensation, and exemptions from the requirements of holding a nonbinding advisory vote on executive compensation and shareholder approval of any golden parachute payments not previously approved.

Further, Section 102(b)(1) of the JOBS Act exempts emerging growth companies from being required to comply with new or revised financial accounting standards until private companies (that is, those that have not had a Securities Act registration statement declared effective or do not have a class of securities registered under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”)) are required to comply with the new or revised financial accounting standards. The JOBS Act provides that a company can elect to opt out of the extended transition period and comply with the requirements that apply to non-emerging growth companies but any such election to opt out is irrevocable. The Company currently expects to retain its status as an emerging growth company until the year ending December 31, 2026, but this status could end sooner under certain circumstances.

Revenue Recognition

The Company generates revenue from the sale of products and services. A significant majority of the Company’s revenues are generated from enrolling dentists in the VIP program and sales of products and services to VIPs. Revenue is recognized when control of the products or services is transferred to customers (i.e., VIP dentists ordering such products or services for their patients) in a way that reflects the consideration the Company expects to be entitled to in exchange for those products and services.

Following the guidance of ASC Topic 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers (“ASC 606”) and the applicable provisions of ASC Topic 842, Leases (“ASC 842”), the Company determines revenue recognition through the following five-step model, which entails:

Service Revenue

VIP Enrollment Revenue

The Company reviews its VIP enrollment contracts from a revenue recognition perspective using the 5-step method outlined above. Once it is determined that a contract exists (a VIP enrollment agreement is executed and payment is received), service revenue related to VIP enrollments is recognized when the underlying services are performed. The price of the standard VIP enrollment that the VIP pays upon execution of the contract is significant, running at approximately $31,500, with different entry levels from $2,500 to $50,000. Unearned revenue reported on the balance sheet as contract liability represents the portion of fees paid by VIP customers for services that have not yet been performed as of the reporting date and are recorded as the service is rendered. The Company recognizes this revenue as performance obligations are met. Accordingly, the contract liability for unearned revenue is a significant liability for the Company. Provisions for discounts are provided in the same period that the related revenue from the products and/or services is recorded.

The Company enters into programs that may provide for multiple performance obligations. Commencing in 2018, the Company began enrolling medical and dental professionals in a one-year program (later known as the VIP Program) which includes training in a highly personalized, deep immersion workshop format which provides the VIP dentist access to a team who is dedicated to creating a successful integrated practice. The key topics covered in training include case selection, clinical diagnosis, appliance design, adjunctive therapies, instructions on ordering the Company’s products, guidance on pricing, instruction on insurance reimbursement protocols and interacting with our proprietary software system and the many features on the Company’s website. The initial training and educational workshop are typically provided within the first 30 to 45 days that a VIP enrolls. Ongoing support and additional training are provided throughout the year and includes access to the Company’s proprietary Airway Intelligence Service (“AIS”) which provides the VIP with resources to help simplify the diagnostic and treatment planning process. AIS is provided as part of the price of each appliance and is not a separate revenue stream. Following the year of training and support, a VIP may pay for seminars and training courses that meet the Provider’s needs on a subscription or a course-by-course basis.

VIP enrollment fees include multiple performance obligations which vary on a contract by contract basis. The performance obligations included with enrollments may include sleep apnea rings, a six or twelve months BIS subscription, a marketing package, lab credits and the right to sell our appliances. We allocate the transaction price of a VIP enrollment contract to each performance obligation under such contract using the relative standalone selling price method. The relative standalone price method is based on the proportion of the standalone selling price of each performance obligation to the sum of the total standalone selling prices of all the performance obligations in the contract.

The right to sell is similar to a license of intellectual property because without it the VIP cannot purchase appliances from us. The right to sell performance obligation includes the Vivos training and enrollment materials which prepare dentists for treating their patients using The Vivos Method.

Because the right to sell is never sold outside of VIP contracts, and VIP contracts are sold for varying prices, we believes it is appropriate to estimate the standalone selling price of this performance obligation using the residual method. As such, the observable prices of other performance obligations under a VIP contract will be deducted from the contract price, with the residual being allocated to the right to sell performance obligation.

Our management uses significant judgements in revenue recognition including an estimation of customer life over which it recognizes the right to sell. Our management has determined that VIPs who do not complete sessions 1 and 2 of training rarely complete training at all and fail to participate in the VIP program long term. Since the beginning of the VIP program, just under one-third of new VIP members fall into this category, and the revenue allocated to the right to sell for those VIPs is accelerated at the time in which it becomes remote that a VIP will continue in the program. Revenue is recognized in accordance with each individual performance obligation unless it becomes remote the VIP would continue, at which time the remainder of review is accelerated and recognized in the following month. Those VIPs who complete training typically remain active for a much longer period, and revenue from the right to sell for those VIPs is recognized over the estimated period of which those VIPs will remain active. Because of various factors occurring year to year, our management has estimated customer life for each year a contract is initiated. The estimated customer lives are calculated separately for each year and have been estimated at 15 months for 2020, 14 months for 2021 and 18 months for 2022. The right to sell is recognized on a sum of the years’ digits method over the estimated customer life for each year as this approximates the rate of decline in VIPs purchasing behaviors we have observed.

Other Service Revenue

In addition to VIP enrollment service revenue, in 2020 we launched BIS, an additional service on a monthly subscription basis, which includes our AireO2 medical billing and practice management software. Revenue for these services is recognized monthly during the month the services are rendered.

Also, we offer our VIPs the ability to provide MyoCorrect to the VIP’s patients as part of treatment with The Vivos Method. The program includes packages of treatment sessions that are sold to the VIPs, and resold to their patients. Revenue for MyoCorrect services is recognized over the 12-month performance period as therapy sessions occur.

Allocation of Revenue to Performance Obligations

We identify all goods and services that are delivered separately under a sales arrangement and allocates revenue to each performance obligation based on relative fair values. These fair values approximate the prices for the relevant performance obligation that would be charged if those services were sold separately, and are recognized over the relevant service period of each performance obligation. After allocation to the performance obligations, any remainder is allocated to the right to sell under the residual method and is recognized over the estimated customer life. In general, revenues are separated between durable medical equipment (product revenue) and education and training services (service revenue).

Treatment of Discounts and Promotions

From time to time, we offer various discounts to its customers. These include the following:

The amount of the discount is determined up front prior to the sale. Accordingly, measurement is determined before the sale occurs and revenue is recognized based on the terms agreed upon between the Company and the customer over the performance period. In rare circumstances, a discount has been given after the sale during a conference which is offering a discount to full price. In this situation revenue is measured and the change in transaction price is allocated over the remaining performance obligation.

The amount of consideration can vary by customer due to promotions and discounts authorized to incentivize a sale. Prior to the sale, the customer and we agree upon the amount of consideration that the customer will pay in exchange for the services we provide. The net consideration that the customer has agreed to pay is the expected value that is recognized as revenue over the service period. At the end of each reporting period, we update the transaction price to represent the circumstances present at the end of the reporting period and any changes in circumstances during the reporting period.

Product Revenue

In addition to revenue from services, we also generate revenue from the sale of its patented oral devices and preformed guides (known as appliances or systems) to its customers, the VIP dentists. Revenue from the appliance sale is recognized when control of product is transferred to the VIP in an amount that reflects the consideration it expects to be entitled to in exchange for those products. The VIP in turn charges the VIP’s patient and or patient’s insurance a fee for the appliance and for his or her professional services in measuring, fitting, installing the appliance and educating the patient as to its use. We contract with VIPs for the sale of the appliance and is not involved in the sale of the products and services from the VIP to the VIP’s patient.

The appliance is similar to a retainer that is worn after braces are removed. Each appliance is unique and is fitted to the patient. We utilize our network of certified VIPs throughout the United States and in some non-U.S. jurisdictions to sell the appliances to their customers as well as in two dental centers that we operate. We utilize third party contract manufacturers or labs to produce its customized, patented appliances and preformed guides. The manufacturer designated by us produces the appliance in strict adherence to our patents, design files, protocols, processes and procedures and under the direction and specific instruction of the Company, ships the appliance to the VIP who ordered the appliance from us. All of our contract manufacturers are required to follow our master design files in production of appliances or the lab will be in violation of the FDA’s rules and regulations. We performed an analysis under ASC 606-10-55-36 through 55-40 and concluded that we are the principal in the transaction and are reporting revenue on a gross basis. We bill the applicable VIP the contracted price for the appliance which is recorded as product revenue. Product revenue is recognized once the appliance ships to the VIP under our direction.

Within each of the two centers that we own, we utilize a team of medical professionals to measure, order and fit each appliance. Upon scheduling the patient (which is our customer in this case), the center takes a deposit and reviews the patient’s insurance coverage. Revenue is recognized differently for our owned centers than for revenue we recognize form VIPs. We recognize revenue from our centers after the appliance is received from the manufacturer and once the appliance is fitted and provided to the patient.

We offer certain dentists (known as Clinical Advisors) discounts from standard VIP pricing. This is done to help encourage Clinical Advisors, who help the VIPs with technical aspects of our products and to purchase our products for their own practices. In addition, from time to time, we offer credits to incentivize VIPs to adopt our products and increase Vivos Method case volume within their practices. These performance obligations are recorded as revenue in future periods over the life of the credit.

Use of Estimates

The preparation of financial statements and related disclosures in conformity with U.S. GAAP requires us to make judgments, assumptions, and estimates that affect the amounts reported in its consolidated financial statements and accompanying notes. Our management bases its estimates and assumptions on existing facts, historical experience, and various other factors that it believes are reasonable under the circumstances, to determine the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Our significant accounting estimates include, but are not necessarily limited to, assessing collectability on accounts receivable, the determination of customer life and breakage related to recognizing revenue for VIP contracts, notes receivable, impairment of goodwill and long-lived assets; valuation assumptions for assets acquired in business combinations; valuation assumptions for stock options, warrants and equity instruments issued for goods or services; deferred income taxes and the related valuation allowances; and the evaluation and measurement of contingencies. Additionally, the full impact of COVID-19 and its variants is unknown and cannot be reasonably estimated. However, we have made appropriate accounting estimates based on the facts and circumstances available as of the reporting date. To the extent there are material differences between our estimates and the actual results, our future consolidated results of operations will be affected.

Cash and Cash Equivalents

All highly liquid investments purchased with an original maturity of three months or less that are freely available for the Company’s immediate and general business use are classified as cash and cash equivalents.

Accounts Receivable, Net

The accounts receivable in the accompanying financial statements are stated at the amounts management expects to collect. Our management performs credit evaluations of its customers’ financial condition and may require a prepayment for a portion of the services to be performed. We reduce accounts receivable by estimating an allowance that may become uncollectible in the future. Management determines the estimated allowance for uncollectible amounts based on its judgements in evaluating the aging of the receivables and the financial condition of our clients.

Property and Equipment, Net

Property and equipment are stated at historical cost less accumulated depreciation. Depreciation is computed using the straight-line method over the estimated useful lives of the assets, which ranges from 4 to 5 years. Amortization of leasehold improvements is recognized using the straight-line method over the shorter of the life of the improvement or the term of the respective leases which range between 5 and 7 years. We do not begin depreciating assets until they are placed in service.

Intangible Assets, Net

Intangible assets consist of assets acquired from First Vivos and costs paid to (i) MyoCorrect, LLC (“MyoCorrect LLC”), from whom we acquired certain assets related to our OMT service in March 2021 and (ii) Lyon Management and Consulting, LLC and its affiliates (“Lyon Dental”), from whom we acquired certain medical billing and practice management software, licenses and contracts in April 2021 (including the software underlying AireO2) for work related to our acquired patents, intellectual property and customer contracts. The identifiable intangible assets acquired from First Vivos and Lyon Dental for customer contracts are amortized using the straight-line method over the estimated life of the assets, which approximates 5 years (See Note 6). The costs paid to MyoCorrect LLC and Lyon Dental for patents and intellectual property are amortized over the life of the underlying patents, which approximates 15 years.

Goodwill

Goodwill is the excess of acquisition cost of an acquired entity over the fair value of the identifiable net assets acquired. Goodwill is not amortized but tested for impairment annually or whenever indicators of impairment exist. These indicators may include a significant change in the business climate, legal factors, operating performance indicators, competition, sale or disposition of a significant portion of the business or other factors. We test for impairment annually as of December 31. There was no impairment of goodwill recognized at December 31, 2021. There were no quantitative or qualitative indicators of impairment that occurred for the year ended December 31, 2022 and accordingly, no impairment was required.

Impairment of Long-lived Assets

We review and evaluate the recoverability of long-lived assets whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that an asset’s carrying amount may not be recoverable. Such circumstances could include, but are not limited to, (1) a significant decrease in the market value of an asset, (2) a significant adverse change in the extent or manner in which an asset is used, or (3) an adverse action or assessment by a regulator. We measure the carrying amount of the asset against the estimated undiscounted future cash flows associated with it. Should the sum of the expected future net cash flows be less than the carrying value of the asset being evaluated, an impairment loss would be recognized. The impairment loss would be calculated as the amount by which the carrying value of the asset exceeds its fair value. The fair value is measured based on quoted market prices, if available. If quoted market prices are not available, the estimate of fair value is based on various valuation techniques, including the discounted value of estimated future cash flows. The evaluation of asset impairment requires us to make assumptions about future cash flows over the life of the asset being evaluated. These assumptions require significant judgment and actual results may differ from assumed and estimated amounts. Our evaluation of long-lived assets completed for the years ended December 31, 2021 resulted in no impairment loss. There were no quantitative or qualitative indicators of impairment that occurred for the year ended December 31, 2022 and accordingly, no impairment was required.

Equity Offering Costs

Commissions, legal fees and other costs that are directly associated with equity offerings are capitalized as deferred offering costs, pending a determination of the success of the offering. Deferred offering costs related to successful offerings are charged to additional paid-in capital in the period it is determined that the offering was successful. Deferred offering costs related to unsuccessful equity offerings are recorded as expense in the period when it is determined that an offering is unsuccessful.

Accounting for Payroll Protection Program Loan

We accounted for our U.S. Small Business Administration’s (“SBA”) Payroll Protection Program (“PPP”) loan as a debt instrument under ASC 470, Debt. We recognized the original principal balance as a financial liability with interest accrued at the contractual rate over the term of the loan. On January 21, 2022, our PPP loan received of May 8, 2020 was forgiven by the SBA in its entirety, which includes approximately $1.3 million in principal. As a result, we recorded a gain on the forgiveness of the loan in the quarter ended March 31, 2022 under non-operating income (expense).

Loss and Gain Contingencies

We are subject to the possibility of various loss contingencies arising in the ordinary course of business. An estimated loss contingency is accrued when it is probable that an asset has been impaired, or a liability has been incurred, and the amount of loss can be reasonably estimated. If some amount within a range of loss appears to be a better estimate than any other amount within the range, we accrue that amount. Alternatively, when no amount within a range of loss appears to be a better estimate than any other amount, we accrue the lowest amount in the range. If we determine that a loss is reasonably possible and the range of the loss is estimable, then we disclose the range of the possible loss. If we cannot estimate the range of loss, we will disclose the reason why we cannot estimate the range of loss. Our management regularly evaluates current information available to it to determine whether an accrual is required, an accrual should be adjusted and if a range of possible loss should be disclosed. Legal fees related to contingencies are charged to general and administrative expense as incurred. Contingencies that may result in gains are not recognized until realization is assured, which typically requires collection in cash.

Share-Based Compensation

We measure the cost of employee and director services received in exchange for all equity awards granted, including stock options, based on the fair market value of the award as of the grant date. We compute the fair value of stock options using the Black-Scholes-Merton (“BSM”) option pricing model. We estimate the expected term using the simplified method which is the average of the vesting term and the contractual term of the respective options. We determine the expected price volatility based on the historical volatilities of shares of our peer group as we do not have a sufficient trading history for our Common Stock. Industry peers consist of several public companies in the bio-tech industry similar to us in size, stage of life cycle and financial leverage. We intend to continue to consistently apply this process using the same or similar public companies until a sufficient amount of historical information regarding the volatility of our own stock price becomes available, or unless circumstances change such that the identified companies are no longer similar to us, in which case, more suitable companies whose share prices are publicly available would be utilized in the calculation. We recognize the cost of the equity awards over the period that services are provided to earn the award, usually the vesting period. For awards granted which contain a graded vesting schedule, and the only condition for vesting is a service condition, compensation cost is recognized as an expense on a straight-line basis over the requisite service period as if the award were, in substance, a single award. We recognize the impact of forfeitures and cancellations in the period that the forfeiture or cancellations occurs, rather than estimating the number of awards that are not expected to vest in accounting for stock-based compensation.

Research and Development

Costs related to research and development are expensed as incurred and include costs associated with research and development of new products and enhancements to existing products. Research and development costs incurred were approximately $0.2 million and less than $0.1 million for the years ended December 31, 2022 and 2021, respectively.

Leases

Operating leases are included in operating lease right-of-use (“ROU”) asset, accrued expenses, and operating lease liability – current and non-current portion in our balance sheets. ROU assets represent our right to use an underlying asset for the lease term and lease liabilities represent our obligation to make lease payments arising from the lease. Operating lease ROU assets and liabilities are recognized at the lease commencement date based on the present value of lease payments over the lease term. In determining the present value of lease payments, we use our incremental borrowing rate based on the information available at the lease commencement date as the rate implicit in the lease is not readily determinable. The determination of our incremental borrowing rate requires management judgment based on information available at lease commencement. The operating lease ROU assets also include adjustments for prepayments, accrued lease payments and exclude lease incentives. Our lease terms may include options to extend or terminate the lease when it is reasonably certain that we will exercise such options. Operating lease cost is recognized on a straight-line basis over the expected lease term. Lease agreements entered into after the adoption of ASC 842 that include lease and non-lease components are accounted for as a single lease component. Lease agreements with a noncancelable term of less than 12 months are not recorded on our balance sheets.

Income Taxes

We account for income taxes in accordance with Accounting Standards Codification (“ASC”) 740, Income Taxes, under which deferred income taxes are recognized based on the estimated future tax effects of differences between the financial statement and tax bases of assets and liabilities given the provisions of enacted tax laws. Deferred income tax provisions and benefits are based on changes to the assets or liabilities from year to year. In providing for deferred taxes, we consider tax regulations of the jurisdictions in which we operate, estimates of future taxable income, and available tax planning strategies. If tax regulations, operating results, or the ability to implement tax-planning strategies vary, adjustments to the carrying value of deferred tax assets and liabilities may be required. A valuation allowance is recorded when it is more likely than not that a deferred tax asset will not be realized. The recorded valuation allowance is based on significant estimates and judgments and if the facts and circumstances change, the valuation allowance could materially change. In accounting for uncertainty in income taxes, we recognize the financial statement benefit of a tax position only after determining that the relevant tax authority would more likely than not sustain the position following an audit. For tax positions meeting the more likely than not threshold, the amount recognized in the financial statements is the largest benefit that has a greater than 50 percent likelihood of being realized upon ultimate settlement with the relevant tax authority. We recognize interest and penalties accrued on any unrecognized tax benefits as a component of income tax expense.

Basic and Diluted Net Loss Per Share

Basic net loss per common share is computed by dividing the net loss applicable to common stockholders by the weighted average number of common shares outstanding for each period presented. Diluted net loss per common share is computed by giving effect to all potential shares of Common Stock, including stock options, convertible debt, preferred stock (if any), and warrants, to the extent dilutive.