Retired dentist cited for unprofessional conduct after girl suffers brain damage

Coat of Arms of Edmonton (Photo by Wikimedia Commons, Fair Use)

EDMONTON — A dentist has been found to have committed serious breaches of his professional and ethical duties after a young girl was left with brain damage following a dental procedure.

In 2016, Amber Athwal, who was four years old at the time, was rushed to hospital in Edmonton following a dental operation.

An Alberta Dental Association and College tribunal says Dr. William Mather failed in his duties.

A report released Friday said he and his staff were not fully trained or prepared to prevent or deal with Athwal’s medical emergency.

The college has not yet decided what action it will take against Mather, who has since retired.

“Based on the evidence presented at this hearing and the admissions made by Dr. Mather, the hearing tribunal has found that the bulk of the charges of unprofessional conduct alleged in the Notice of Hearing have been proven,” reads the tribunal’s report.

“Dr. Mather committed serious breaches of his professional and ethical duties to comply with the Standards of Practice and the Code of Ethics.

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Dr. Randall Croutze, CEO of the college, said what happened to the girl is a tragedy.

“We would like to express our continued sympathy for what happened to Amber and her family,” he said in a release.

“The (college’s) primary responsibility is to protect the public and decrease the likelihood of this sort of tragedy from happening again.”