Family Sues Dentist Who Accidentally Set a Five-Year Old's Mouth On Fire

A year after a five-year-old Las Vegas girl's mouth was allegedly set on fire during a freak accident at a pediatric dentist's office, the family of the child has filed a malpractice lawsuit. 

According to media reports, last January Howard Kane took his daughter to Dr. Deep Karan Dhillon of Just For Kids Dentistry & Orthodontics clinic to place several crowns on her teeth.

The child was under general anesthesia while the dentist used a diamond bur, a common dental tool, to prepare the child for the surgery.

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Dental tool causes a spark and leads to fire 

During the preparations a spark was produced with the dental tool, causing the cotton in the child's throat to catch fire. The fire reportedly lasted one or two seconds. 

The incident resulted in the girl being hospitalized for four days. She allegedly suffered burns and injuries to her epiglottis, throat, tongue, mouth, lips, and areas surrounding her mouth, reported the Las Vegas Review Journal, citing the court documents. 

The family contends in the lawsuit that some of the injures could be permanent and may be disabling. It is seeking at least $15,000, according to the report. 

Sending a message

"When you have these procedures, you can have the perfect storm sometimes, and without the proper precautions, a hazard can be created," said Alison Brasier, an attorney representing the family told NBC News. "We want to raise awareness for parents and also to raise accountability, not only with this dentist but others so that this can be prevented from happening to another child. "

The incident is sparking a lot of concern among parents but experts stress it was a freak accident, not a common occurrence.