9-year-old girl dies after anesthesia at San Diego dental clinic
Dental sedation tragedy: 9-year-old dies after treatment in San Diego (Illustrative photo: Getty Images)
A 9-year-old girl died in San Diego just hours after undergoing a dental procedure under anesthesia, The Independent reports.
The young patient underwent a dental procedure on March 18 at Dreamtime Dentistry in the Vista area of San Diego.
According to the medical examiner’s report obtained by NBC San Diego, she was moved to a recovery room after the procedure and was then released into her parents’ care. Upon returning home, her parents put her to bed but later found her unresponsive. Despite being rushed to Rady Children’s Hospital, the girl was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
The exact cause of death has not yet been determined, and the San Diego Police Department has launched an investigation. The girl’s funeral took place in San Diego on March 26.
Experts caution against premature conclusions but emphasize that anesthesia poses a higher risk to children compared to adults. Retired dentist Dr. Michael Davis explained that children’s airways are more constricted, making anesthesia more dangerous. He noted that some dentists prefer to perform such procedures in hospitals or outpatient centers for safety reasons.
Dentist involved has a record of past cases
The dentist who performed the procedure, Dr. Ryan Watkins, has a history with the Dental Board of California. He was previously on probation from 2020 to 2023 after a 2016 incident involving the near-death of an adult patient under anesthesia. An investigation revealed that two drugs were administered, one of which should not have been given, leading to the patient’s heart stopping.
In a statement regarding the recent incident, Dr. Watkins said:
"The patient was referred to our office for dental treatment under general anesthesia due to her young age and acute situational anxiety. Throughout the procedure, she was continuously monitored by our dentist anesthesiologist ... with no complications observed."
Dr. Watkins also mentioned that the child was discharged in a stable condition - awake, with stable vital signs - according to the clinic’s post-anesthesia protocols.
The tragic incident has raised concerns about the safety of anesthesia in pediatric dentistry, especially in non-hospital settings.
