Tragic reports show that a 9-year-old California girl died suddenly on her way home, returning from the dentist, died by the dentist and placed under anesthesia.
The child appeared to be fine after a dental surgery he underwent at Dreamtime Dentistry in Vista, California. NBC San Diego.
On the way home, the child fell asleep in the car. When her family checked her later, she didn't respond.
She was taken to Rady Children's Hospital in San Diego for help, but was declared dead shortly after her arrival.
Prosecutors are still working to determine the cause of death, and it is unclear whether dental procedures played a role.
Experts warned that jumping to conclusions is too early, but also noted the inherent risks associated with procedures that require sedation, particularly for children.
“When a child falls asleep on general anesthesia, it's a much more risky procedure than an adult,” retired dentist Dr. Michael Davis told NBC San Diego.
Children need low doses of drugs, such as anesthesia, due to factors ranging from size to metabolic rate. However, there are some outliers. For example, natural redheads are often resistant to anesthesia due to the common genetic mutations they carry. UCLA Health.
According to documents obtained by NBC San Diego, Dr. Ryan Watkins, the only dentist in practice with sedation, was previously investigated by the California Dental Board in 2016 after an adult patient almost died after being given unnecessary drugs.
As a result, Watkins was placed on probation from 2020 to 2023.
