For most people, going to the dentist is stressful. For the 13-year-old girl in this reported case, it resulted in her death. The young girl was having teeth removed during oral surgery in the dentist\u2019s office, when she stopped breathing. The autopsy revealed that the death was the result of complications from anesthesia, given prior to surgery.<\/p>\n
The devastated family elected to file a wrongful death lawsuit, which was settled out of court by the dentist\u2019s insurance company and negotiated by the state\u2019s Dental Board. The most interesting aspect of this case were the remarks made by the Dental Board once the settlement had been negotiated, commenting, among other things, that it was the task of the Board to ensure unsafe dentists, or those that were likely a threat, either took further training to remediate deficient areas in their practice or, in the alternative, stop practicing.<\/p>\n