Decision report 201101552

Summary

Mrs C complained on behalf of her mother (Mrs A) about the care and treatment Mrs A received from her dentist. Mrs A attended the dentist in pain after a filling fell out. The dentist took an x-ray and removed a nerve. He made an appointment for a couple of weeks later to extract some teeth. Unfortunately, the pain did not get any better and Mrs A had to go back a further three times for treatment. However, before the date on which the extractions were scheduled, she was admitted to hospital, where it was found that her windpipe was obstructed by a large abscess. Mrs A had emergency surgery, and needed a tracheotomy (an operation to insert a tube into the windpipe) to assist with her breathing.

Mrs C complained that the dentist did not treat her mother appropriately and that had he done so she would not have deteriorated to such an extent. After taking advice from two of our dental advisers, however, our investigation found that the dentist's decisions about prescribing antibiotics to Mrs A were reasonable, as was the care and treatment provided.