A fact-finding investigation is underway into the case of a 64-year-old man who reportedly died at a hospital in Sing Buri province from bleeding after getting 12 teeth removed, according to the Thai Dental Council's statement posted on social media on Sunday.
The statement said after learning of the case from media reports the council had sought more information from dental experts from the Royal College of Dental Surgeons and the hospital which provided treatment for the man who died.
It was initially reported the man, identified only as Somsak, was admitted to the hospital for treatment of a blood infection thought to be caused by caries and periodontal disease in many of his teeth. The dentists decided to remove those teeth to eradicate the source of infection.
It is hoped that the investigation would help establish the actual cause of death, the statement said.
While the investigation is underway members of the public should respect the privacy of all concerned, pending a probe result that will be announced in full to the public, the statement added.
Chanthana Khumkrong, a daughter of the 64-year-old man from Bang Rachan district, said her father was admitted to the hospital on May 12 for the treatment of cirrhosis. On May 15, the hospital said her father was suffering from a blood infection and that he must be put on medication until May 28.
On May 23, she was told by the hospital that her father had 12 decayed teeth that needed to be removed. The first seven teeth were removed that day and the other five on the following day, when her father began bleeding profusely and died.
The man's body was moved from the hospital on May 25 to Wat Sadao temple in tambon Mae La, Bang Rachan district, for funeral rites.