A fourth-year University of Missouri-Kansas City dental student was prepping a patient's tooth Oct. 21 when the patient's water broke and the student helped deliver her baby, according to the American Dental Association.
Aliah Haghighat was working her first day of a three-week rotation at Kansas City-based Samuel U. Rodgers Health Center when a patient informed the student that she was going into labor.
The dental student ran to get the lead dentist, who went to get help from a women's health center a floor above the dental office. In the dentist's absence, the patient started yelling and undressing, Ms. Haghighat told the ADA.
Ms. Haghighat and a dental assistant saw a baby's head emerge, and reached out to help deliver a healthy baby boy. Ms. Haghighat said past emergencies and a course preparing students for medical crises helped her remain calm and take action.
Providers from the women's health center took over care for the mother and newborn baby, whose middle name is Samuel, after the clinic.