Parents Say Boy Was ‘Completely Healthy’

The parents of a 4-year-old boy who stopped breathing in a dentist’s chair this week and died at the hospital said their son had had a physical examination less than two weeks ago and was “completely healthy.”

Javier Villa of Santa Ana was at the Megdal Dental Care offices to get eight cavities filled Monday, said his parents, Javier and Yolanda Villa. A nurse gave the boy a reddish-pink liquid in a plastic cup and told him to drink it, which he did. The supervising dentist, Dr. Gabriella Pham, told the couple it was an anesthesia to “put his whole body to sleep,” Yolanda Villa said.

Within minutes after swallowing the liquid, Javier became dizzy and asked his mother to carry him, the couple said. Then he passed out.

Police have said the child was given a shot to his gums before the procedure. But the Villas, who said they stayed with Javier because he was nervous, said they never saw him receive an injection.

“We want a full investigation to find out what happened to our son,” said the boy’s father, 27. “We don’t want this to happen to anybody else. Our son was a healthy, happy, active little boy.”

Pham declined to comment Wednesday.

The Villas said they left the examination room during the procedure, but became alarmed at about 1 p.m. when paramedics rushed past them into the office. Javier Villa jumped in the ambulance with the boy, who never regained consciousness.

An autopsy was inconclusive, coroner’s officials said Tuesday, and full toxicology reports will not be available for six to eight weeks. The Orange County coroner’s office and Santa Ana police are investigating the case but say there is no sign of foul play or abuse.

Pham, who works at the clinic on Bristol Street, has had a dental license in good standing for two years, according to the California Dental Board. The clinic is one of several owned by Philip Megdal, who has been licensed with the state for 30 years and has never had state disciplinary action taken against his practice.

“We are at a loss as to why Javier reacted as he did,” Megdal said this week.

Javier’s parents said the family doctor who examined the boy two weeks earlier found no apparent allergies, heart problems or diabetes.

“No one can believe our child is dead,” said Yoland Villa, 30. “We just want answers.”