http://www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/09/28/de ... index.html

Girl left comatose after dental visit dies

CHICAGO, Illinois (AP) -- A 5-year-old Chicago girl who never awoke from her sedation during a visit to the dentist died Wednesday at Children's Memorial Hospital, a hospital official said.

Kindergartner Diamond Brownridge had been in a coma and on life support since the weekend dentist visit, said Julie Pesch, a spokeswoman for Children's Memorial Hospital.

Family members have said Diamond received a triple dose of sedatives -- an oral agent, an intravenous drug and nitrous oxide gas -- during Saturday's exam at Little Angel Dental. The girl was having two cavities filled and caps placed on her lower front teeth.

[WTF? I HAD 3 TYPES OF SEDATIVE WHEN I HAD MY WISDOM TEETH OUT, BUT NEVER MORE THAN A SHOT OF NOVOCAINE FOR ANYTHING ELSE. AND WHY DOES A 5 YEAR-OLD NEED "CAPS" ON (PRESUMABLY) BABY TEETH? ARE YOU SURE SHE WASN'T GETTING A "GRILL"?]

The girl's mother, Ommettress Travis, has said she was asked to leave the room during the half-hour procedure. When she returned, her daughter was lying in the dental chair, not breathing, Travis said.

"She passed very peacefully and beautifully," a family statement released by the hospital said.

[NO, SHE WAS POISONED IN A DENTIST'S CHAIR. THERE IS NOTHING PEACEFUL, AND ESPECIALLY NOTHING BEAUTIFUL, ABOUT IT.]

A Chicago law firm, Clifford Law Offices, also filed paperwork to begin exploring whether a malpractice case would have merit, said Thomas K. Prindable, managing partner of the firm.

[YA THINK?]

The girl's dentist, Hicham Riba, was certified to administer anesthesia to patients and his state license was current, said Susan Hofer, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

A written statement from Riba on Wednesday night extended condolences to the girl's family. "(My family and I) are so sad," he said. "May God bless Diamond and her family."

The telephone rang unanswered at Riba's home Wednesday night.

that's just awful.

looks like this dentist should lose their license to me. that sounds like far too many sedatives for a child, especially for the work which was being done. that's a LOT more than i was given when i had my wisdom teeth out. like pd said, wouldn't they be her baby teeth anyway? why was this even necessary?

Probably because the kid cries too much when you try to fuck her when she's not sedated.

:forwards article to Walls Unit, Huntsville TX:

almost sounds like they knew it was coming

RIP little girl.

Who knows what exactly was the cause of death (one of the sedatives, or the combo), but these days it's getting harder to find a dentist that will offer nitrous oxide. There's something with the laughing gas that, rarely, can be fatal.

Sad.

Well yeah, but it doesn't strike well with me, that comment. It's so awkward to read that about what appeared to be a healthy little girl.

This is really sad

If she's from a family that names their children Diamond, probably not important.

What did the dentist look like?

Do you teeth actually start falling out by the time you're five? I can't remember that far back.

yeah, but they're baby teeth, so they get replaced anyway.

why was a 5 year old having caps put on her bottom teeth? if the baby teeth had fallen out, and the adult teeth grown in, they are just barely grown in...so to cap them while they are still growing, not to mention the fact that her whole mouth is going to change when all the other teeth fall out, is 100% absurd.

poor little girl.

I had caps as a little girl. I think I was 4 when I got them on. I fell in the bathtub and cracked my two front teeth. One I lost, the other one was only cracked so they capped it. I think it's to hold the place, basically, an save the kid a lot of pain. Having an adult tooth come un through the empty space hurt a whole fuck hell of a lot more than the adult teeth that came in through the 'holes' from the pushed out baby teeth.

I was knocked out for it, but I only remember the oral anesthetic. It looked like orange juice. . . sure as hell didn't taste like it, though. Ick. LOL. I remember sitting in the waiting room w/ my mom while they waited for it to kick in - I wanted to go play in the play area, but couldn't sit up on my own. Probably the only time I've ever been high in my life.

wow, that's just awful.

This guy shouldn't have a license anymore.

That is horribly sad.

But what the fuck are they doing sedating a kid for a couple of cavities? The only time i was ever put under for a dental procedure was when i got ALL 4 of my wisdom teeth out. I've had a lot of dental work done and it's always been a topical anesthetic to numb the area, and then a big motherfucking needle.

Dude, that was awful.



This is a really sad story. I can't imagine what that would be like as a parent. You never expect something bizarre like that to happen at the dentist office.

*hates going to dentist even more*

Has anyone pointed out that if the kid's parents had taught her to brush properly, she wouldn't have had two cavities when she was FIVE??

I mean, not to defend the dentist, but I'll bet this kid was constantly hopped up on sugar.

Clearly, it's all the parent's fault.

It's still sad. No one needs to die at the dentist!!

But they may not have done anything wrong - they could have given her the right doses for her age/size, but she may have had an allergic reaction or something. She's only 5, it's not likely she's had to be put under before.