40 Children Were Treated With Drain Cleaner Instead of Dental Fluid

More than 40 children were accidentally given dental solution that contained drain-cleaning fluid, leading to burning sensations and blisters in their mouth, Irish Independent reported.

Forty-three children had procedures with the potentially dangerous combination on Wednesday and Thursday before anyone realized the problem.

An investigation has been launched to find out how the drain-cleaning fluid was mistaken for dental fluid and mixed with water.

The Irish dental clinic’s mistake was discovered only after staff noticed increased irritability with children having the dental treatment.

A spokesperson for the clinic said that early indications revealed that a drain-cleaning product was accidentally added to the water solution that’s used in the dental equipment.

“We have established that 43 primary school children underwent procedures between October 4 and 5 which involved the use of this water solution,” the spokesman said.

“We have contacted the majority of these 43 families. However, there are a small number of families who were not contactable by phone. These families have been written to,” he added.

“We have advised the families of the incident and recommended they are reviewed by a GP if they present with any symptoms,” he concluded.

Some Patients affected reported upset stomachs, burning sensations in mouth or blistering. A majority of patients haven’t reported any symptoms.

“This is so regrettable and unfortunate. I want to apologize for any concern or upset caused to the children and their families,” said the clinic’s chief officer, Bernard Gloster.

The clinic will be conducting a full review to establish what happened.

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