Hawaii Dentist Sued by Family of Girl Left in Vegetative State After Root Canal

A lawsuit has been filed against Hawaii dentist Lilly Geyer and her practice, Island Dentistry for Children by the family of a 3-year-old girl, who claim that the dentist exhibited negligence and dangerous conduct that has left their daughter with irreversible brain damage.

Court documents allege that Finley Boyle received improper medications with incorrect dosages on December 3, 2013 as a result of which she "suffered severe and permanent brain damage."

"As a direct and proximate result of the medications administered to (Finley) by defendants, (Finley) suffered cardiac arrest during her dental procedure," the lawsuit said.

Finley's mother, Ashley Boyle, told CNN that she first took her daughter to the dentist in November when she was told that the girl needed 6 fillings and 4 root canals. The incident leading to the lawsuit took place in December when they returned for the root canals.

The lawsuit alleged that Finley was left unmonitored for 26 minutes following sedation and that Geyer's practice did not have plans or procedures to deal with medical emergencies. Finley's pediatric neurologist, Dr. Gregory Yen, said the girl was in a vegetative state and that it was difficult to predict how long she would live.

Source: Medindia