Dentists are among some 1,400 state workers paid more than $200,000 per year by the state of California, the LA Times reported.
One dentist earned $599,403, according to compensation data revealed for the first time by Controller John Chiang's office. And a prison dentist received a payout of $553,253, the Times reported.
In years past, high numbers of vacancies in prison healthcare provider roles prevented many doctors and dentists from using their vacation time since there was no one to cover for them, the article noted.
A prison healthcare spokesman said that current high salaries were necessary to attract dentists and doctors to difficult jobs at prisons, the article stated.
