Wigan dentist put children’s lives at risk
A dentist from Wigan has been accused of putting children’s lives at risk by sedating them with potentially harmful drugs.
Barry Rimmer regularly sedated anxious children with strong sedative, including ketamine, which is used to sedate horses and propofol, the drug which has been linked to Michael Jackson’s untimely death. Mr Rimmer also used alfentanil and fentanil, drugs which are linked to breathing difficulties according to David Bradley, who presented the case at the General Dental Council hearing.
The General Dental Council confirmed that Rimmer had sedated the children without offering them, or their parents, information on safer alternative methods of sedation, including nitrous oxide, or laughing gas, which is the preferred option in surgeries across the UK. Without providing this information, the drugs used by Rimmer have to be classified as general anaesthetic, which has been banned in dental practices since 2001 due to the risk of complications.
According to GDC guidelines, dentists are supposed to use intravenous sedation when absolutely necessary and avoid it if possible; the vast majority of dentist use nitrous oxide to sedate patients as the risk of health problems and complications following its use is extremely low. An investigation carried out by the Ashton Leigh and Wigan Primary Care Trust found that, contrary to GDC guidelines, Mr Rimmer was routinely using different drugs to sedate child patients and was consequently posing a risk to their health and safety.
Rimmer denies that he has done anything wrong and insists he was working within GDC guidelines.
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