Several children are being hospitalized after contracting a serious bacterial infection during a dental procedure at an Anaheim clinic. According to officials, at least eight children contracted the same bacterial infection, and all underwent the same dental procedure at Children's Dental Group. Officials say the number of the infected is expected to grow.
The Orange County Register reports health officials are contacting the parents of about 500 other children who were also treated at the dental clinic since May 3. All of the children who are hospitalized underwent pulpotomies. Pulpotomy is a root canal-type procedures done on baby teeth
A parent of one of the children who contracted the infection says no one should go through what his 4-year-old daughter went through. According to her father, the child has spent months in the hospital and is still receiving daily intravenous antibiotics. He says he is angry, and no one will help. His daughter had three teeth surgically removed at the Children's Dental Group. Months later, she got an infection that led to bacterial pneumonia. The little girl has undergone four different surgeries to remove an abscess under her chin. Another parent says her 8-year-old son had to be treated for his swollen mouth and bruising on his cheeks. She said this infection could have been life- threatening if it had spread to the brain.
According to an Orange County Health Care Agency official, the infection is caused by a slow-growing bacteria that can take months to show. This is why the agency is looking back to those who visited the clinic since early May. The CEO of the Children's Dental Group made a statement saying they followed industry standard sterilization and preventative practices. The state dental board has also joined the investigation. Patients of the dental clinic are urged to contact the California Department of Consumer Affairs to file a complaint.
If your child has become a victim of medical malpractice, please contact Meyerkord & Kurth, LLC, immediately.