A total of 77 child patients of the Children’s Dental Group of Anaheim have been treated for a strain of resistant bacteria contracted from the clinic’s contaminated water supply. Doctors found bacteria in one victim’s lungs, and had to pull nine teeth out. “She could fracture her gums if she bites on something hard,” said the victim’s mother, Leonor Oliver. “If she does, they’ll have to put a titanium plate in her, and she’s just 5.” The parents of another 2 year old victim were told their son will lose his jaw, and had to fly in medical experts to help him find a way to eat during this challenging medical situation. Another four year old girl has mycobacterium abscessus from an infection in her teeth, gums, bones and tissue, and requires bacterial injections four times a day. “She has a lot of pain, on the neck, on the cheeks, on everything,” said Ramon Amador, father of the victim. “She wants to go to school, she can’t, she can’t play with her brothers, she can’t do nothing, she needs to stay in the bed.” Amador’s lawyer expressed their distaste for the clinic, saying that it has seen many lawsuits due to medical negligence. “These kinds of clinics are set up in these low income, mostly Hispanic neighborhoods to milk the insurance benefits of the children. They strap the children down on papoose boards, they extract teeth that do not need to be extracted. This is a high volume, high profit clinic that cares about one thing: money.” The lawyer stated. Most of the children involved in the lawsuits contracted their infections during a major oral surgery, such as a root canal. Children’s Dental group has since released a statement apologizing for the infections, claiming that they have replaced the old water system with a new one that has enhances protective measures. “We follow industry standard sterilization and preventative practices, and use state-of-the-art equipment to protect the health and safety of our patients, upon seeing this we began a review and testing of our systems, equipment, water and other elements in the office,” a clinic representative stated.
If you or a loved one have suffered due to medical malpractice or negligence, the attorneys of Hodes Milman can provide you with the assistance you need. Contact us today online at hml.law or call (949) 640-8222 for a complimentary case evaluation.
