Girl with dentist phobia starved to death

An eight-year-old girl starved to death after developing such a fear of dentists that she refused to eat, an inquest heard. Sophie Waller had a phobia about her teeth which caused her to keep her mouth clamped shut.

She wouldn't eat, drink or speak and weighed less than four stone when she died.

The girl died 11 days after being released from hospital after an operation to remove her milk teeth, and despite her parents' attempts to obtain help from the National Health Service, the inquest heard.

Her mother Janet Waller, 34, a nursery teacher, told an inquest she asked to take her daughter back to the Royal Cornwall Hospital, Truro, four days before she died, but was refused.

She was referred to a child psychologist, Kerry Davidson, who, she said, told her Sophie would be all right because she had sucked a water melon.

She carried on ringing Dr Davidson as Sophie got weaker and was allegedly told she would be alright if she was eating anything.

The psychologist did not see the child after she left hospital and had arranged an appointment for the next week, four days after Sophie died.