A Texas dentist has been arrested and charged with medical negligence after a 4-year-old girl died during a routine dental procedure.
Chrishelle Hemphill, a 48-year-old dentist practicing in Fort Worth, is accused of causing serious bodily injury to Aithana Rodríguez-Arriaga through negligence. A months-long police investigation concluded that the doctor was negligent.
The incident occurred on April 1 at the Cuddle Kids Dental clinic. The child's mother said she was rushed into signing paperwork before the procedure and that her daughter was given a liquid medication as she was taken into the treatment room. The mother was not allowed to stay with her child during the procedure.
About an hour later, the mother was allowed into the room and found her daughter unresponsive. Hemphill tried to wake her with an ice cream but was unsuccessful. Emergency services were called, but the little girl died at the hospital.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office ruled the death an accident due to meperidine toxicity. According to the arrest warrant affidavit, the girl's blood contained 793 ng/mL of meperidine; experts said that level would be toxic even for an adult.
The investigation showed that Hemphill administered chloral hydrate, hydroxyzine, and meperidine along with nitrous oxide gas, but did not account for the combined effects of these drugs. It also emerged that the doctor failed to notice the child was in respiratory distress and administered flumazenil, a benzodiazepine antidote, instead of naloxone, which is used for opioid overdoses. However, the girl had no benzodiazepines in her system.
During a search of the clinic, police seized syringes containing leftover medication that were being kept for use on other patients. Police also noted confusion among staff about where naloxone was located in an emergency.
Fort Worth Police Department spokesperson Brad Perez advised parents to insist on being present during their children's medical procedures. Perez said, 'If you want to be with your child during a procedure, demand it.'
Hemphill had no prior disciplinary actions and her dental license was active at the time of her arrest. The case is being reviewed by the Tarrant County District Attorney's Office.
Aithana's family said on a GoFundMe campaign that their daughter was 'full of life and kind' and that 'her presence lit up every room.' The donations raised will be used for funeral expenses and to bury the child in Mexico.
