Here are six dental legal battles Becker's has reported on since Aug. 18:
1. Barry Jacobson, DMD, along with his company, HQRC Management Services, and 13 affiliated dental practices, agreed to pay $753,457 to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by performing and billing for medically unnecessary therapeutic pulpotomies on pediatric patients.
2. Omar Guesmia, DDS, will pay $60,000 to resolve allegations that he and his practice, Gentle Dental Care in Phoenix, N.Y., violated the Controlled Substances Act by enabling staff to obtain oxycodone for personal use.
3. A former Washington dentist pleaded not guilty to four counts of distributing a controlled substance.
4. A woman who worked as a dental office clerk in Fort Myers, Fla., was arrested after allegedly writing five fraudulent checks to herself and her husband's account for $79,662.
5. Former dentist, Vivian Letizia, from Stone Ridge, N.Y., was sentenced on Aug. 25 to one year of probation for fraudulently obtaining opioids.
6. A manager and operator of a Houston dental clinic have been charged in a $6 million Medicaid fraud and kickback scheme.