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License suspended for dentist whose 5-year-old patient died...
State regulators suspended the dental license of Dr. Hicham Riba on Friday, two days after the death of a 5-year-old patient who fell into a coma in his office.
Calling Riba's practices an "imminent danger to the public,'" the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation said he failed to properly monitor Diamond Brownridge's blood pressure, pulse and respiration during her treatment last Saturday at his storefront clinic.
The agency's complaint also said Riba recorded that Diamond was "alert and responsive" on discharge, even though her mother found her in a comatose state in the dental chair.
Diamond died Wednesday at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago. She had been on life support for four days after her visit to Little Angel Dental to have some teeth filled and others capped.
Attorneys for Riba confirmed the suspension late Friday and said a hearing has been set for Oct. 13. They also released a brief statement from Riba, in which he said: "Diamond's loss is tragic. As we have stated before, we have fully cooperated with the investigation and will continue to do so."
Riba, 40, a resident of suburban Addison, faces up to $10,000 in fines for each of the four violations alleged in the state complaint. Those charges include making false or fraudulent representations, professional incompetence and gross malpractice.
Riba has been in practice since 1997 and has a clean disciplinary history, according to state records.
Diamond's mother, Ommettress Travis, said she took her daughter to Little Angel Dental to have two cavities filled and have caps placed on the girl's lower front teeth.
She said Diamond received a triple dose of sedatives - an oral agent, an intravenous drug and nitrous oxide gas - during her treatment.
Travis said she was asked to leave the room during the half-hour procedure. She said when she returned, her daughter was lying in the dental chair, not breathing.
"I feel if I would have stayed there, I would have known when her heart stopped," Travis said. "I believe her heart probably stopped in the middle of the procedure, and they did not recognize it."
The state complaint said that Diamond received two injections of diazepam or Valium within a five-minute period, followed by oral Valium, lidocaine, several other medications, and the nitrous oxide. The regulators did not say whether the combination or the dosages were appropriate for the 35-pound girl.
They did contend, though, that the radiographs taken of Diamond's teeth at Riba's clinic were of too poor quality to be used in diagnosis.
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