A Georgia dentistry practice is under fire for using a controversial restraint device on children during oral procedures, even though the office claims that parents sign consent forms allowing them to use it.
The device in question is called a 'papoose board' and according to Dr. Jamey Chung, owner of Smiles-R-Us in Carrollton, Ga., it is used to hold down "uncooperative children while they are undergoing dental work," reports The Daily Mail.
James Crow said that when he went with his mother, Evelyn, to take his daughter, Elizabeth, to get her front tooth pulled out at Smiles-R-Us in Carrollton, Ga., he saw one of the devices in use. While sitting in the waiting room, Crow heard Elizabeth screaming and rushed into the exam room only to find that the dentist was using the body bag-like restraint.
Elizabeth was shaking so much that she was unable to walk and had to be carried outside, Examiner reported.
A spokesperson for the Georgia Board of Dentistry says there are no rules, laws, or regulations regarding when dentists can or cannot use the restraints, according to the Canada Journal.
The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry has said that the papoose boards are legal, but recommends that they be used as a last resort under certain circumstances. It does note however, that a parent's signature is not a substitute for a "thorough discussion of the procedure" beforehand.
