Child in California dies after dental procedure
VISTA, Calif. (NBC, KYMA/KECY) - The San Diego Police Department (SDPD) says it's investigating the death of a nine-year-old girl who passed away just hours after undergoing dental surgery that involved anesthesia.
The procedure happened earlier this month at Dreamtime Dentistry in Vista, California, near San Diego, and it's still unclear if the dental procedure played a role in the child's death.
According to the medical examiner, the girl underwent sedation for a dental procedure she was moved to a recovery room afterwards and then discharged.
She slept on her way home and was put in bed, but when family checked on her, she was unresponsive, so they called 911. An ambulance took her to the hospital, where doctors pronounced her dead.
"It breaks my heart, a dental anesthesia should be a safe procedure," said Dr. Michael Davis, a recently retired dentist.
Dr. Davis regularly testifies as an expert witness in dental malpractice cases. Without knowing more details about the child's sedation or medical history, Davis says it's too soon to draw conclusions.
But Davis said, in general, "When the child goes to sleep with general anesthesia...is a much more riskier procedure than with an adult."
That's because he says children have more constricted airways than adults, so he says many dentists only perform sedation work with children in a hospital OR, or outpatient surgery center.
Dr. Ryan Watkins sent a lengthy statement saying in part:
"We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of our young patient, which occurred several hours after her completed dental procedure.
Throughout the procedure, she was continuously monitored by our dentist anesthesiologist...with no complications observed.
Following the procedure, she was discharged in stable condition awake, with stable vital signs and protective reflexes intact."
An NBC affiliate reached out to the dental board, and they said they don't confirm or discuss investigations.
If the dental board does investigate Dr. Ryan Watkins, it wouldn't be the first time as back in 2016, Dr. Watkins had another sedation patient who nearly died.
As a result, the dental board put him on probation from 2020 through 2023.
State investigators said during the procedure, Watkins' dental office gave a 54-year-old patient two drugs which led to his heart stopping. One of those drugs should have never been administered.
Watkins says he restarted the patient's heart within a minute.
The identity of the nine-year-old is not being released and the cause and manner of death is listed as pending.
