US: Parents' fury over dentist using restraints on children

Several parents in Georgia have strongly criticised the actions of a local dentist who was found to use restraints on children.

The Smiles-R-Us clinic in Carrollton came under suspicion after the father of a young girl, Elizabeth, heard his daughter screaming while he waited outside the doctor's room.

"We were sitting out in the waiting room and all of a sudden, we heard somebody screaming," said Evelyn Crow, Elizabeth's father, reported WSB-TV.

"I couldn't see my kid in the body bag just strapped down to the bed, I couldn't handle it.

"I think they should make a law for dentists not to restrain children like that."

According to Crow, upon entering the room, he was shocked to see Elizabeth in physical restraints, placed in a device called "papoose board".

Elizabeth's grandmother was reportedly told the device was used since the girl refused to co-operate.

Meanwhile, an employee at the clinic told WSB-TV that papoose boards are always used after seeking a written consent from the child's parents. However, the Crows deny ever being told of the device being used.

According to guidelines by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry: "Protective stabilisation, with or without a restrictive device, performed by the dental team requires informed consent from a parent.

"A parent's signature on a consent form should not preclude a thorough discussion of the procedure."

Meanwhile, social media users questioned how the parents permitted their child to be left alone in a room with an adult.