Dr. Ping Cai, a dentist practicing in Hazlet, New Jersey, will face charges for submitting $39,000 in false claims from 2007 through 2009 to the New Jersey Medicaid program. Dr. Cai is alleged to have billed Medicaid for services she simply did not perform, such as filling cavities and relining and rebasing dentures.

Sadly, Dr. Cai is far from the only dentist to have submitted false claims to Medicaid. Dental fraud against our Medicaid programs has become a major problem. In addition to filing for payment when services were not provided, some dentists will perform painful and unnecessary procedures on patients to maximize their reimbursements from Medicaid — wronging both their patients and the government.

The charges against Dr. Cai carry a maximum sentence of up to 10 years in prison and up to $150,000 in fines.