4-Year-Old Dies Because of Anesthesia During Visit to Dentist in Oakland

A 4-year-old in Oakland, California died after visiting a dentist where he was given two doses of anesthesia and stopped breathing.

Dung Ly’s mother was in the waiting room of Youthful Tooth and was worried about why her son’s dental procedure was taking longer than expected.

“They didn’t give her any update until she questioned them and then the next thing she said knew, is the ambulance arrived,” family friend Jimmy Tran told ABC News on behalf of Ly’s parents, who immigrated to the Bay Area from Vietnam in 2017.

Ly was sent to UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital in Oakland where he died on April 25 due to lack of oxygen reaching his brain, according to a GoFundMe page created by his cousin, Lyllian Le.

Ly was reportedly just getting over a cold on the day of the dental procedure.

“He’s still a little bit coughing and she did ask the dentist, the doctor, is it okay to have it done or we can reschedule another day? And he said, no that’s fine,” Tran said.

The Dental Board of California is currently investigating Youthful Tooth, where two licensed dentists are registered.

“If a violation is found, DBC contacts the Attorney General’s Office and pursues license discipline. If nothing is found, the case is closed,” the board said.

Ly’s funeral was held on Monday and the GoFundMe page has reached more than $8,000, surpassing the goal of $3,000.

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