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Deadly Dentistry Series Focuses On Former LV Dentist

Dallas Morning News reporter Brooks Egerton dove into the phenomenon of deadly dentistry - and it starts in Nevada.
AP Photo/Eckehard Schulz

Dallas Morning News reporter Brooks Egerton dove into the phenomenon of deadly dentistry - and it starts in Nevada.

Two Las Vegas casino workers a few years ago died while being treated by oral surgeon Dr. Craig Morris. Both asphyxiated from having too much anesthetic.

Morris had also been sued for other issues, such as breaking a patient's jaw during a tooth extraction.

As a result, in Nevada, Morris was not allowed to administer anesthetic to any more patients – essentially ending his business.So he packed up, moved back to Texas, and started a new dental practice.

Morris' history might have been something Texas patients with a tooth ache would want to know about. But they didn’t.

After the death of a child at the hands of a dentist, the Dallas Morning News spent 18 months investigating deadly dentist incidents. 

Its investigation led back to Las Vegas, where reporter Brooks Egerton unraveled Morris' story. 

Egerton spoke to "KNPR's State of Nevada" about his series and the largely unknown phenomenon of death in dentistry.

Brooks Egerton, reporter, Dallas Morning News

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Joe Schoenmann joined Nevada Public Radio in 2014. He works with a talented team of producers at State of Nevada who explore the casino industry, sports, politics, public health and everything in between.