A U.S. jury convicted on June 22 a dentist in Kentucky for unlawfully prescribing morphine that caused the death of his 24-year-old dental patient, according to a press release dated June 23 by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Public Affairs.
Dr. Jay Sadrinia, 60, was convicted of one count of unlawful distribution of controlled substances resulting in death and one count of unlawful distribution of controlled substances. Sadrinia, who owned and operated four practices in Kentucky, faces a mandatory minimum of 20 years in prison and a maximum penalty of life in prison on the unlawful distribution of controlled substances resulting in death count, according to the release.
Despite being explicitly told that his prescribing of controlled substances was dangerous and that it put patients’ lives at risk, Sadrinia prescribed opioids to his patients for routine dental procedures. Sadrinia charged the 24-year-old $37,000 for dental procedures and prescribed her medically unnecessary quantities of narcotics, including morphine. Several days later, the patient overdosed on the morphine and died, according to the release.
In April 2022, the Kentucky Board of Dentistry began investigating Sadrinia to determine his competency to practice dentistry after receiving information from the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky. On April 26, 2022, Sadrinia was informed that his license to practice dentistry was immediately and temporarily suspended, according to a letter from the board.
