THE family of an elderly woman whose dentures had to be surgically removed from her mouth yesterday spoke of their anger at the care home supposed to be looking after her.
Betty McGaw, 87, died eight weeks after three surgeons had to prise out her dentures which had been left in by staff at the Heather Bank care home in Balornock, Glasgow.
Her family are now seeking compensation from Southern Cross, who run the car
e home, and hope the case will raise awareness among other families to keep an eye on their loved ones' care.
Yesterday Mrs McGaw's daughter, Sylvia Miller, said the whole family had been devastated by what happened. She said they had noticed that her mother, who suffered dementia, was having problems eating and drinking when they visited last Christmas. She also had a swelling on her throat.
"We asked staff why her teeth were a strange colour and her tongue was blue. They said it was her medication."
But after seeing a doctor, Mrs McGaw was admitted to the Southern General Hospital. There, surgeons examined her and found the dentures embedded in her mouth.
"When they took the dentures out they were covered in green slime and fungus. They could not say how long they had been in there but it was obviously some time," said Mrs Miller.
After her ordeal, Mrs McGaw developed a chest infection and died in hospital eight weeks later.
"The care my mother received at the Southern General was excellent and the staff tried so hard to help her," Mrs Miller said. "Now we want to highlight this issue so other people don't have to suffer like my mother and let other families know to make sure their relatives are being properly looked after."
She added: "We feel guilty and don't want anyone else to feel like this."
Kieran Fallon, a dentist in Glasgow and a member of the British Dental Association, said: "For a patient who is wearing dentures, oral hygiene is just as important as it is in someone who has teeth. As a dentist, we stress this to patients with new dentures.
"For debilitated patients in hospital or care homes, it is also crucial that their dental health is looked after."
In a statement, Heather Bank care home said they had received a complaint from Mrs McGaw's family which was passed on to the Scottish Commission of Regulation and Care.
"The CCS immediately undertook an investigation and upheld that the needs of Mrs McGaw's oral hygiene had not been fully met," the statement said. "This resulted in Heather Bank care home receiving two requirements which have now been fully resolved.
"Since Mrs McGaw's death of natural causes at the Southern General Hospital, Glasgow, the Care Commission Inspectorate have undertaken two visits to Heather Bank - one announced, and one unannounced. The outcome of these visits was that the Care Commission issued no requirements, but made some recommendations."
The full article contains 494 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
