A 75-year-old woman died after undergoing surgery to receive 11 dental implants at a clinic in Gangnam, Seoul. Her family was reportedly shocked after reviewing CCTV footage of the incident.
According to MBN, the woman, referred to as A, went into cardiac arrest just 16 minutes after receiving anesthesia. She was transferred to a university hospital but ultimately passed away. After her funeral, the family requested the CCTV footage from the clinic, but the clinic refused to provide it, citing privacy concerns, allowing only for the footage to be viewed on-site.
The family noted in their records that at 4:18 p.m., the attending physician began administering medication, with three doses given within the first minute. After the ninth dose, A suddenly raised her hands, prompting the medical staff to strap her wrists to the chair.
Emergency room records indicate that the clinic used 16 doses of the local anesthetic articaine on A. While articaine is commonly used in dental procedures, the maximum single dose is 7 mg. A weighed 54 kg, meaning the maximum allowable dosage would be approximately 380 mg. However, A received 16 doses, totaling 1,088 mg, which is three times the safe limit.
The National Forensic Service has reportedly suggested that A's death was likely due to toxic reactions from the articaine.
On August 3, a 60-year-old man, referred to as B, also suffered cardiac arrest and died while undergoing implant surgery at the same clinic.
According to police, B, who lived in Jincheon, visited the clinic after seeing advertisements for implants priced between 250,000 and 350,000 won each. During his first surgery on June 29, he had 17 teeth extracted and received eight implants. He was scheduled for a second surgery on August 3 to receive ten more implants but went into cardiac arrest after the sixth implant was placed.
Medical records indicate that B was administered 3 cc of the sedative midazolam, 1 cc of the anesthetic ketamine, and 7.5 ampoules of the local anesthetic lidocaine.
Despite the incident involving A, the clinic continued to operate until B's death.
The clinic has been known for its low implant prices, reportedly quoting A between 250,000 and 350,000 won per implant. According to an analysis by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the average cost of implants at 70,268 medical institutions nationwide last year was 1,188,000 won.
The Korean Dental Association has raised concerns about so-called 'dumping clinics' that lure patients with low prices and then perform excessive procedures, disrupting the quality of dental care.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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