Autopsy Fails to Find Cause of Death for Dental Patient, 4

An autopsy on a 4-year-old boy who stopped breathing in a dentist’s chair this week and died on the way to the hospital yielded “no obvious cause” of death, police said.

Javier Villa of Santa Ana had been strapped into a “papoose” board used to restrain squirming children while undergoing cavity work Monday at the Megdal Dental Care offices.

Full toxicology reports will not be available for six to eight weeks. The Orange County coroner and Santa Ana police are investigating, but say there is no sign of foul play or abuse.

Villa was a patient at the dental facility at 1631 N. Bristol St., one of several dental clinics owned by Philip Megdal, who has been licensed with the state for 30 years.

A previous checkup showed that the boy had cavities. On Monday, he returned to have them filled. After being placed on a “papoose” board, he was given a shot for his gums, but it was unclear whether he was given anesthesia, police said.

Dr. Gabriella Pham, who has been a licensed dentist in California for two years, was working on the boy, police said. At some point, staff members noticed that the boy was “in distress.”

He was given cardiopulmonary resuscitation until paramedics arrived, police said. Emergency treatment was continued until he arrived at UC Irvine Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.