Inquest into teen’s death to question link to tooth
DANIEL ELTON, 18, DIED FROM HEART INFECTION SEVEN MONTHS AFTER ROUTINE DENTAL TREATMENT
AN inquest is looking at how a tooth extraction may have played a part in the death of a Derbyshire teenager.
Daniel Elton, 18, died seven months after contracting an infection following the removal of a tooth at a dentist’s in Swadlincote, an inquest in Derby was told. The student, of Appleby Glade, Castle Gresley, was found dead at his home in November 2015 after suffering from infective endocarditis, an infection on the surface of the heart.
Daniel’s doctor told the inquest at Derby and Derbyshire Coroners’ Court that the condition was extremely rare and he often woke in the night wondering if there was something he could have done to spot the signs.
Daniel visited the Delph Dental Practice in Swadlincote in March 2015, complaining of pain in his mouth, the inquest heard. After having his tooth extracted in April there appeared to be no problems up until May, when Daniel started experiencing multiple health issues. He told doctors he had lost weight and complained about a lack of appetite, dark urine, a pain in his ankle and tenderness at the side of his back.
Despite numerous appointments at Hartwood Medical Practice, in Swadlincote, doctors said they were “baffled” by Daniel’s deteriorating condition and “could not make sense” of his symptoms.
Speaking at the start of the inquest, scheduled to last all week, assistant coroner Louise Pinder said a health expert who conducted an investigation into Daniel’s death and who believes there is a connection between the tooth extraction and the fatal endocarditis will give evidence later this week.
Dr Robin Thorne, Daniel’s GP, of Hartwood Medical Practice, said at the inquest: “Believe me, I have woken up at night about this case many times – what we should have done differently and what would have given us a clue.
“It’s hard. It’s really hard. I couldn’t make sense of it at all.”
As Daniel’s general health worsened, he was referred to doctors at Burton Queen’s Hospital for tests. The inquest heard that urine tests but results showed no signs of an infection. But alarm bells started to ring when levels of protein in his blood indicated “something else was going on”.
Dr Thorne said he had sent a letter to Dr David Watmough at Queen’s Hospital, requesting that Daniel should undergo an urgent MRI scan to find the cause of his health problems.
Dr Watmough, medicine consultant at the hospital, said: “You would think someone had a lightbulb moment, but unfortunately they didn’t. There was no evidence of bleeding anywhere, he did not have any red-flag symptoms. He didn’t look clinically anaemic.
“But inflammations showed there was something somewhere in the body.” The inquest continues.