A dentist in the state of Washington has had their dentistry license suspended over allegations of unsafe practices after a patient died while having multiple teeth removed in 2022. The patient had a significant medical history and was having teeth extracted in June 2022 in advance of a scheduled heart valve surgery.
The patient was under moderate sedation for abot five minutes before a drop in oxygen-saturation level, heart rate and blood pressure. The patient had hypertensive cardiovascular disease, valvular heart disease, congestive heart failure, pulmonary emphysema, chronic disease, diabetes, and obesity. In advance of the extractions the dentist had received medical clearance from the patient’s primary care provider but the dentist had not talked to any other doctors treating the patient.
During the day of the extractions, the patient was given articaine, lidocaine, triazolam, midazolam, decadron, and cefazolin. Roughly five minutes into the teeth removal surgery, the patient’s vital signs dropped. Emergency medical services were called and resuscitation was performed but unfortunately the patient died. The dentist was alleged to have failed to monitor the patient’s vital signs at appropriate levels required by law. The dentist was also alleged to have failed to administer the proper dose of flumazenil needed to reverse the effects of the other medications already in the patient’s system.
Photo by Ozkan Guner on Unsplash
The dentist rejected any wrongdoing but the order cited a finding of facts that established the existence of an immediate threat to the public health and safety if respondent as an unrestricted credential and moderate sedation with parenteral agents permit. The care the dentist provided was said to be negligent, incompetent, and/or failed to meet the standard of care.
Unfortunately many other patients over the years have died during dental procedures like tooth extractions. See for example articles like The Death Rate Among Patients being Treated by Oral Surgeons in Massachusetts and Deadly Dentistry: Death in the Dental Chair.