"My Son Went to the Dentist to Remove Wisdom Teeth and Came Back Dead"…Medical Malpractice Controversy in Japan

Patient Experienced Hypoxia During Wisdom Tooth Extraction in Japan
Tube Tip Dislodged, Oxygen Delivery Seemed Interrupted
Father Says, "The More I Hear, the More Unbelievable the Accident"

Yoo Oh (48), who lost his son due to wisdom tooth extraction treatment, is immersed in sorrow while looking at a photo of his son.
[Photo by Sankei Shimbun]

A teenager in Japan died during wisdom tooth extraction treatment. The teenager's father expressed his frustration, saying, "The more I hear about the situation, the more impossible this accident seems."

On the 27th, Japan's Sankei Shimbun reported that Yudai Tomikawa (17) lost his life during wisdom tooth extraction under general anesthesia at the Sakai City Severe Disability Dental Clinic in Sakai City, Osaka Prefecture, last July.

The incident occurred on July 13 last year during the extraction of Tomikawa's left wisdom tooth. Immediately after the surgery began, his blood oxygen saturation, which should normally be above 96%, started to drop sharply. The clinic staff assumed it was a bronchial spasm and continued the surgery. However, in reality, the tube's tip had come loose, preventing sufficient oxygen from reaching the lungs.

His father, Yuo Tomikawa (48), said, "They only called an ambulance when the blood oxygen saturation dropped to about 20%, just before cardiopulmonary arrest," expressing anger. "Why didn't they notice earlier? As a result, the hypoxic state lasted for nearly an hour." He added, "In my opinion, they seemed to prioritize treatment over life." He also vented, "Why didn't they check the tube immediately? Why didn't they call an ambulance right away? The more I hear about it, the more impossible this accident seems."

He also expressed distrust regarding the response after the accident. According to the father, on July 15, the clinic handed over a one-page A4 report and apologized, but they did not provide a detailed timeline of the surgery or explain the cause of the mistake.

Yuo Tomikawa said, "Losing my son feels like being in hell. I hope no one else ever has to feel this way," and added, "I hope efforts will be made to prevent recurrence."