3-year-old Finley Boyle died after having what is considered a routine dental procedure — six fillings and four root canals.
Boyle’s family has filed a malpractice suit against the Kailua, Hawaii dentist who performed the procedures which now includes wrongful death following her death on Friday, according to Rick Fried, attorney for the family, after he confirmed her death.
The initial lawsuit was filed against Island Dentistry for Children and owner Lilly Geyer for using alleged improper medications with incorrect dosages that were administered to the girl on December 3, according to court documents filed this week.
The suit charges the dentist used a combination of three drugs, all central nervous system depressants, and that the combination enhanced the strength of each without appropriate adjustments in dosage. Fried said an excessive dose of at least one of the drugs was administered and examination by another dentist determined that most of the dental work was unnecessary.
Finley passed away surrounded by her parents and family members at Hawaii Hospice in Kailua after she was sent there after pediatric neurologist Dr. Gregory Yen said MRIs showed the girl suffered severe brain damage and that she was in a “persistent vegetative state.” She died 32 days following her dental visit.
This case follows that of 13-year-old Jahi McMath, who was declared brain dead by physicians at Children’s Hospital Oakland after surgery to remove her tonsils and treat other tissue to improve her breathing. While in the recovery room, she began hemorrhaging, suffered cardiac arrest and lapsed into a coma. She remains on life support in Oakland as her family is fighting to send her to a new facility in New York.
