Patient Has Heart Attack, Dies; Dentist Also Stricken

A 19-year-old Los Angeles man suffered a heart attack and died Friday after being put under anesthesia by a dentist in the Bellflower office of the Howard Stein Dental Group, authorities said.

The dentist, Dr. Jim Drake, also suffered a heart attack after the incident, but was listed in stable condition Saturday at Doctors Hospital of Lakewood, a hospital spokeswoman said.

Removal of Teeth

The dead man, identified by a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s spokesman as Jose Cabral, was having four teeth removed at the office.

The low-cost dental clinic headed by Dr. Howard Stein of Huntington Beach has attracted controversy because of allegations by some critics of malpractice and fraudulent billing. Last December, Stein lost a court bid to block the airing of a “60 Minutes” segment in which he was accused of shoddy dental work, overbilling patients and failing to supervise his staff.

Stein has denied the allegations and charged that they have been prompted by other dentists upset by the low fees he charges because he runs a high-volume business.

Drake is one of 50 dentists working at Stein’s two offices in Bellflower and West Covina, according to clinic spokesman Amin Romo.

Halt in Breathing

Drake was removing four teeth from Cabral about 2:40 p.m. Friday when Cabral stopped breathing while under general anesthesia, Sheriff’s Department spokesman Richard Dinsmoore said.

After suffering a heart attack, Cabral was taken to Doctors Hospital in Lakewood by Los Angeles County paramedics, where he died at 4:15 p.m., Dinsmoore said.

A spokesman for the the Los Angeles County coroner’s office said that an autopsy may be completed as early as Monday.

Dinsmoore said a full-scale investigation will be launched once the autopsy results are available.

A distraught Drake later suffered a heart attack, Romo said. He would not elaborate. Reached by telephone at his hospital bed Saturday, Drake declined to comment.