9-year-old girl dies after dental procedure under general anesthesia
A nine-year-old girl died hours after she underwent a dental procedure in which she was placed under general anesthesia.
KSWB, citing the San Diego Police Department, reported that the girl, who was not named, was put under anesthesia and then moved to a recovery room before being discharged from Dreamtime Dentistry in the city of Vista.
She remained asleep during her ride home and was then placed in her bed.
The girl's parents, who had been checking on her periodically throughout the day, later found her unresponsive and called 911.
She was transported to Rady Children’s Hospital Emergency Department in San Diego, where she was later pronounced dead.
According to NBC 7 San Diego, the medical examiner "listed the cause and manner of death as pending."
Dreamtime's dentist Dr. Ryan Watkins, in a statement shared by KSWB and NBC 7, said they're deeply saddened by the girl's death, "which occurred several hours after her completed dental procedure."
"The patient was referred to our office for dental treatment under general anesthesia due to her young age and acute situational anxiety," Watkins said. "Throughout the procedure, she was continuously monitored by our dentist anesthesiologist, who is a Diplomate of the National Dental Board of Anesthesiology as well as a Fellow in Anesthesiology from American Dental Society of Anesthesiology and active member of the American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists who has over 20 years of experience successfully administering general anesthesia on children, with no complications observed."
Watkins noted that the girl was discharged "in stable condition—awake, with stable vital signs and protective reflexes intact—into her mother’s care, following our standard post-anesthesia protocols."
He said they're fully cooperating with authorities and are "committed to ensuring all facts come to light."
Watkins noted that they cannot discuss specifics yet due to privacy laws and the active investigation.
"While we understand the concerns and questions surrounding this tragic event, we respectfully ask for patience as the investigation proceeds," he said. "For the sake of the family and the integrity of the process, we encourage restraint regarding speculation."
He assured the public that they'd provide updates "when appropriate."
Dr. Michael Davis, who regularly testifies as an expert witness in dental malpractice cases, told NBC 7 that general anesthesia "should be a safe procedure."
“It breaks my heart,” Davis said. "It’s very alarming with any death—child or adult.”
With the lack of details as the investigation is ongoing, David said conclusions may not be drawn yet.
He, however, noted that when a child goes to sleep with general anesthesia, it's a "much much more riskier procedure than with an adult."
He explained that it's because children have more constricted airways than adults.
Many dentists, he added, only perform sedation work with children in a hospital operating room or outpatient surgery center.
According to Mayo Clinic, general anesthesia brings on a sleep-like state. It usually uses a combination of medicines given through a vein and inhaled gases.
While one is asleep under general anesthesia, they won't feel pain as their brain doesn't respond to pain signals or reflexes.
