2-year-old dies after dental anesthesia complications in Greensboro
These are some of the faces of the people who
went in for dental visits and didn't make it home
with each face a growing call for change
We are asking the state's dental board if it will
take action and we don't know what to do now
Like it's so many questions that's unanswered
The family of 2 year old Hermas Mitchell spoke to
our news partner WX
In the triad after they say an appointment for a
cavity surgery at Valley Gate Dental Surgery Center in Greensboro
resulted in the boy's death
They say the appointment involved anesthesia and that nurses told
them his lung collapsed
They checked his heartbeat checked his weight checked everything it
was all good so they took him back
took him back into the room
WRL Investigates has reported on the heartache of other families
who lost loved ones attributed to dental anesthesia
The dental board told us earlier this year there had
been at least 8 anesthesia-related deaths in the state in
the last 13 years
Is this an example of why you fight Absolutely every
single day
Shile Patel's husband was among those
She has been pushing the state's dental board for stricter
anesthesia rules
Does everything have to be a fight Does everything have
to be This difficult when we're all on the same
page here we all want to save lives
WRL investigates asked the dental board several questions including who
administered the anesthesia
The board's CEO told me at this point it seems
that was not done by a dental provider and that
the complications appear to have started during the initial anesthesia
before
Any dental work began
I also asked if the board would reexamine its policies
on anesthesia and was told if this is a dental
anesthesia issue yes we will revisit our rules
I asked Valley Gate Dental Surgery Center a number of
questions too including what its policy is for anesthesia and
if that was followed
They sent a statement that did not
Answer those questions saying in part since 2019 more than
13,000 patients have safely received care at our Greensboro center
While rare complications can occur unexpectedly even under carefully controlled
circumstances
Valley Gate's website shows locations around the state including in
Fayetteville and Garner
Never would I thought that I'll only have 2 years
With my baby
It's traumatizing
I just want families to be aware
I want to bring awareness
We also reported on a bill that would change how
the dental board is selected and make it so dentists
are not the ones choosing who would govern their own
profession
That bill did pass in the state Senate
It's currently hung up in the House
Sarah Krueger WRL News