The number of children who have been hospitalized for dental infections after having pulpotomies at a Southern California dental clinic has risen to 41. Health officials have traced the infection to the clinic's water lines, and the state dental board is investigating possible breaches of infection-control protocols.
The children, ages 3 to 9, were hospitalized at Children's Hospital of Orange County after developing slowly progressive oral cellulitis, often with dental abscess and/or cervical lymphadenitis, according to the Orange County Health Care Agency. The children had pulpotomies at the Children's Dental Group in Anaheim, CA, between March 14, 2016, and August 5, 2016, the agency said.
A total of 55 children have been evaluated at the hospital, and five remain hospitalized after being treated at the clinic. A 7-year-old girl had oral surgery to remove an infected jaw bone and three teeth after having a pulpotomy at the clinic, according to the Children's Hospital of Orange County.
