In the case of the girl 5, who went in a coma?

Question

why would she have to have so much sedation (i.v.) and nitrious oxide for teeth being capped and fillings? (this happened in Chicago).

Answer 1

I am from chicago and they gave that poor child nitrious oxide, oral sedation, and i.v. I used to work in a children's dental office and watch children her age get that same procedure that of fillings and cap. The only type sedation they ever gave those children were nitrious oxide and thats it. Majority of the children would do fine with just that type of sedation. I think what that dentist gave that child would have harmed an adult. They even interviewed another children's dentist and they have never ever heard of giving a child different kinds of sedation in one procedure. I think that there is something wrong with that dentist.

Answer 2

I don't have an answer for you. But for the folks looking in that aren't familiar with what happened - I just copied this from Yahoo

CHICAGO - A 5-year-old Chicago girl who was sedated during a visit to the dentist never woke up and remained in a coma late last night at Children's Memorial Hospital.

Hospital officials say Diamond Brownridge, who had just started kindergarten, was on life support and in critical condition.

The girl's mother said her daughter was given an oral sedative, followed by an intravenous sedative and nitrous oxide gas at a storefront dental clinic in Chicago's Little Village neighborhood.

Diamond had complained of tooth pain and had been diagnosed with two cavities. In addition she was going to get caps on her lower front teeth.

The mother said she was told to leave the room during treatment, and when she returned a half-hour later, after paying the bill, she found her daughter lying on her side in the chair, not breathing.

Answer 3

If a child has a behavior issue, cause let's face it, no one likes the dentist, fillings with a noisy drill and caps could be a problem. The child could move his/her head and cause the dentist to accidentally poke them. BABY TEETH ARE VERY IMPORTANT. Most people think "oh, they're just going to fall out" but if a child has a cavity, it needs to be fixed. If left unattended it can cause the adult tooth to decay or improperly form. Not to mention, an abscessed tooth infection can migrate to the child's brain, heart or body that can lead to death. If children have severe cavities they are best taken care of under general anesthesia, in a hospital where the vitals can be monitored at all times. Any time a child is at the dentist they need to have constant supervision by a dental professional.
-Dental assistant

Answer 4

I wish I knew the details of this case but I'm not familiar with it. There is something to be said about parents who allow a child's teeth to become so decayed they require this much work. Do you actually know how much IV sedation and what type she received? She may have had an atypical reaction. Don't be too quick to blame the medical profession either. This was a dental professional, not a medical professional.

Answer 5

Nobody can answer this question. Obviously, she had too much.

I think this should be done in a hospital, if a child needs that much dental treatment and requires sedation. Since they are in a major metropolitan area, one was certainly available.

I wasn't there, so that is just my uninformed opinion.

Answer 6

That same thought occurred to me. They are deciduous teeth after all. I am highly suspicious of the dentist who did this. Yet another reason to not let medical professionals alone with your children.