Hawaii woman in coma after third-molar extraction

A Hawaii woman is in a coma after getting her third molars extracted this week by a dentist on the Big Island, two months after a little girl died following a dental procedure on Oahu.

Kristen Tavares, 23, went to the Hilo office of John Stover, DDS, MD, PhD, on March 17 to have all four of her third molars extracted, according to a hawaiinewsnow.com story.

She went into cardiac arrest and was eventually flown to the Maui Medical Center where her family says she's unresponsive and her heart is too weak to do medical procedures.

Tavares, the mother of a 4-year-old son and a 3-month-old baby, was healthy and had no medical problems, her family said.

Dr. Stover, who also does cosmetic surgery, is certified by the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery, the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, and the National Dental Board of Anesthesiology, according to his website. He declined to comment about the Tavares case.

Hawaii dentists are now required to have advanced training in sedation and experience in handling emergencies following the death of 3-year-old Finley Boyle, who went into cardiac arrest after oral sedation by Oahu dentist Lilly Geyer, DMD, in December.

The girl suffered brain damage after being sedated with Demerol, hydroxyzine, chloral hydrate, and nitrous oxide by a technician. She died January 3.