FALL RIVER, Mass. (AP) - 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 Tuesday that a grand jury
indicted former Fall River dentist Michael Clair last week. 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 is to be arraigned April 8. He now lives in Maryland. A
telephone listing could not be found for him, and it was unclear if
he has an attorney.