Gerald Hanks
A Harris County grand jury voted to indict a former Houston dentist on charges of causing serious bodily injury to a child by omission. The charges stem from an incident in which a four-year-old girl was improperly sedated during a routine dental procedure. The girl suffered a seizure and was left with significant brain damage.
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On January 7, 2016, Courissa Clark brought her daughter, four-year-old Neveah Hall, to the Diamond Dental office in Houston. Dr. Bethaniel Jefferson was treating some cavities on the young patient and administered several doses of a powerful sedative. The dentist also restrained the energetic girl into a “papoose”, which restricted movement in the child’s limbs.
Three hours into the procedure, the girl suffered a seizure. Her pulse rose to nearly 200 beats per minute, while her body temperature and oxygen levels plummeted. According to prosecutors, more than four hours passed before either Dr. Jefferson or anyone in the office called an ambulance.
James Moriarty, the attorney for the child’s family, told reporters that the family “trust(ed) that the dentist would protect and look after their little girl.”
The following November, a state judge ruled that Jefferson’s actions “fell below the minimum standard of care, failed to uphold the duty of fair dealing and committed dishonorable conduct when providing dental care.”
The Texas Board of Dental Examiners had previously reprimanded Jefferson twice for failing to attend to patients’ vital signs. The board revoked her license to practice after the judge’s ruling.
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No date has been set yet for Jefferson’s trial. Neither she nor her attorney have made any public comments regarding the case.
