Attorneys representing children who got infections during dental treatments have filed 58 claims against a Southern California city, alleging it provided contaminated water to a clinic.
Attorneys say they're still determining how the water at Children's Dental Group sickened dozens of kids who underwent pulpotomies, or baby tooth root canals, last year in Anaheim. The clinic has been shut down.
The Orange County Register reported Tuesday that the claims are a legally required precursor to a lawsuit and must be filed within six months of a person's injury.
"Two claims have also been filed against the county," reported the Register.
Some children developed a bacterial infection of the mouth that can spread to the gum and bone.
Anaheim spokesman Mike Lyster insisted the city's water supply was not to blame in a statement Wednesday.
"We want to be clear: Anaheim's water supply is not at issue in the case of Children's Dental," the statement read.
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"Our hearts go out to the kids and families who visited Children's Dental," Lyster said in the statement. "No one should have to go through what they have. But we have no reason to doubt the OC Health Care Agency's determination that the likely source of infection was the internal dental water system."
Lyster advised parents and dental patients that making "sure their dentist follows recommendations for water quality from the Centers for Disease Control and the American Dental Association" is the best thing they can do.
