SAN DIEGO — The San Diego Police Department and San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office are investigating the death of a nine-year-old girl who passed away just hours after undergoing dental surgery at a Vista dentist’s office.
Silvanna Moreno, who lived in San Diego, was placed under anesthesia for her surgery at Dreamtime Dentistry in Vista Village on March 18. She was under the care of Dr. Ryan Watkins, a licensed dentist and anesthesiologist.
Moreno was discharged after surgery in stable condition and brought home, with family checking on her throughout the day. Family called 911 after she was discovered unresponsive later in the afternoon, and she was pronounced deceased around 5:45 p.m. at Rady Children’s Hospital after medics attempted life-saving measures “to no avail,” according to the Medical Examiner’s Office.
The Medical Examiner’s Office is still determining the cause of death.
As of Tuesday, a GoFundMe set up by Moreno’s family has received over $16,000 in donations. The third grader at Sherman Elementary School was “the sunshine in every room she entered” and is remembered as “kind, caring, and always happy, a true friend to everyone she met.”
“The pain of losing such a bright and joyful soul is immeasurable for her family and everyone who knew her,” her family stated on the GoFundMe page.
A statement released by Watkins and Dreamtime Dentistry states that Moreno was referred for dental treatment under general anesthesia due to her “young age and acute situational anxiety.”
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of our young patient, which occurred several hours after her completed dental procedure,” the statement said. “Following the procedure, she was discharged in stable condition — awake, with stable vital signs and protective reflexes intact — into her mother’s care, following our standard post-anesthesia protocols.”
The statement also notes that Watkins has over 20 years of experience administering general anesthesia to children without complications. He is also a Diplomate of the National Dental Board of Anesthesiology, a Fellow in Anesthesiology from the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology, and an active member of the American Society of Dentist Anesthesiologists.
Dreamtime Dentistry is cooperating with the San Diego Police Department and the county Medical Examiner’s Office, the statement added.
Marisa Vallbona, who responded to press inquiries on behalf of Watkins, said the dental office has camera footage showing the girl able to stand on her feet while getting into the car, which she said they turned over to the police.
Vallbona declined to comment on the time the dental procedure occurred, citing HIPAA restrictions.
The Coast News has contacted the San Diego Police Department for comment. According to the Union-Tribune, the department’s child abuse unit is investigating the case.
Records from the Dental Board of California show that Watkins was previously placed on probation by the state board from 2020 to 2023, after a 2016 incident in which a patient suffered cardiac arrest while under anesthesia at Dreamtime Dental.
According to the accusation, Watkins administered a drug to the patient due to his heart rate rising during a dental procedure, which caused the patient’s heart to stop. Watkins performed life-saving measures via chest compressions and an automatic defibrillator, and the patient was taken to the hospital and discharged two days later.
