Toddler Dies During Routine Cavity-Filling Procedure
Officials are investigating whether proper procedures were followed in the case of a toddler who died following a dental procedure in Texas.
The Texas State Board of Dental Examiners is investigating the death of a 14-month-old girl who died last month after going under anesthesia for dental procedures.
During a routine cavity-filling procedure at Austin Children’s Dentistry, Daisy Lynn Torres stopped breathing while under anesthesia.
Torres was immediately rushed to North Austin Medical Center where she was pronounced dead five hours later.
From minor dental work to dead mere hours later, Torres’s mom, Betty Squire, wanted answers.
Squire told Today Torres’s first check-up was at six months. The dentist initially said her daughter would need to get two cavities filled.
However, after already beginning the procedure, the dentist told Squire that the young child would need more extensive work — six crowns.
Then, 10 minutes later, the dentist admitted something went wrong, and the baby went into cardiac arrest.
According to Sarah Marshall, a spokeswoman for Austin Children’s Dentistry, an anesthesiologist was with the dentist in the room with Torres.
Officials at the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) issued a statement responding to the tragedy.
The AAPD recommends treatment of dental decay in young children, and its guidelines clear the use of general anesthesia in patients who might be too young to remain still during procedures.
