Two Patients Die at Gangnam Dental Clinic Within 8 Months

A tragic accident occurred in which two patients died consecutively within eight months while receiving implant procedures at a large dental clinic in Gangnam, Seoul. The clinic is known to have used narcotic sedatives and local anesthetics during the treatment of the deceased patients.

Gangnam District became aware of both accidents belatedly through media reports without any separate notification. Gangnam District stated that they confirmed the first accident on January 26 of this year and the second accident on the 14th.

Gangnam District conducted a joint inspection in February following the first accident, including this clinic in the targeted inspection of dental clinics with high-frequency medical narcotic use by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. After the second accident became known, they conducted an unannounced inspection on the 18th and transmitted the results to the Ministry of Health and Welfare on the 24th. Gangnam District reported that the inspection covered the handling and storage of medical narcotics, the preparation and preservation of medical records, medical personnel licenses and qualifications, and facility standards, but no specific legal violations were discovered.

Gangnam District announced that it would recommend to the Ministry of Health and Welfare to establish a system for swift sharing and reporting to local governments when major medical accidents occur at clinic-level medical institutions. It also explained that it would request the government to extend operating room facility standards applied to general anesthesia to intravenous and sleep anesthesia, making patient monitoring devices and emergency equipment mandatory.

Gangnam District also stated that it would conduct quarterly intensive inspections focused on areas closely related to patient safety, supplementing the existing semi-annual inspections for medical institutions within the district.