Dentist Who Reused Needles 
Faces First Criminal Case
DENVER (CBS4 ) – A dentist who reused needles and put thousands of patients at risk of contracting deadly diseases has been arrested in Nevada.
Stephen Stein was arrested just after 1 a.m. Aug. 12 for cocaine and driving under the influence near Lake Tahoe in Nevada.
Court documents state Stein was speeding, 48 mph in a 35 mph zone, while intoxicated with cocaine.
Officers said they found “a hollowed out ink cartridge” in the Chevy Traverse he was driving.
In Colorado last year, Stein had been investigated by police in Denver for prescription fraud for alleged practices out of his two offices in the Denver metro area. State charges were never filed.
Stein agreed to surrender his dental license last year after the Colorado Department of Health discovered he had been under the influence of painkillers while treating patients.
Examiners said Stein admitted to being a drug addict. The board also found he had been using drugs intended for patients.
Since Oct. 1, 2012 six former patients of Stein have tested positive for either hepatitis or HIV.
It’s not known whether they contracted the diseases from Dr. Stephen Stein’s office. Stein has since surrendered his license as an oral surgeon.
About 8,000 of Stein’s patients were sent letters asking them to get tested. The health department says it’s impossible to definitively tell if the infected patients got sick from Stein.
Stein had offices in Cherry Creek and Highlands Ranch.
Stein is scheduled for court in the Lake Tahoe area on Sept. 17. Court officials said that is when the results of his blood tests will be released.
Related:
Patients of Dr. Stephen Stein urged to get tested for HIV and hepatitis
