A former Massachusetts dentist is accused of placing paper clips instead of stainless steel posts inside the teeth of root canal patients while billing Medicaid for the more expensive parts.

The state attorney general announced that a grand jury indicted former Fall River dentist Michael Clair. The charges include assault and battery, larceny, submitting false claims to Medicaid and illegally prescribing drugs.

Prosecutors say Clair was suspended by Medicaid in 2002. He allegedly hired other dentists for his clinic and filed claims under their numbers between August 2003 and June 2005. He's also accused of illegally prescribing drugs to staffers who returned medications to him.

Clair, who still lives in Maryland, was arraigned on April 8th. A phone listing could not be found for him; at the time of the story it was unclear if he had an attorney.

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