A “FIT and healthy” man died from an allergic reaction to antibiotics he was prescribed for toothache.

Shop assistant Mark Johnson collapsed at work and was taken to hospital but suffered a heart attack and could not be revived.

The 36-year-old, of Hoylake, visited his dentist on July 2 last year complaining of pain in his upper jaw and was given amoxicillin – a form of penicillin – to ease the symptoms.

But he fell ill the following day and his parents found him sweating profusely in the staff canteen at Sainsbury’s, in Prenton.

Dr Waleed Askar, from the Arno Dental Practice, in Prenton, told an inquest yesterday Mr Johnson had taken the same antibiotic “numerous” times with no ill-effects.

Coroner’s officer Donald Johnston said: “When he started to walk out of the canteen, he appeared to stiffen up and clenched his teeth. He then turned blue and slid down the wall.

“Paramedics found his airway was partially obstructed.”

The inquest heard that Mr Johnson’s tongue swelled and he was given oxygen and adrenalin at Arrowe Park Hospital, but went into cardiac arrest.

A post mortem found some signs of heart disease, but the main cause of his death was anaphylaxis, a type of allergic reaction, caused by an allergy to penicillin.

In a statement, Dr Askar said: “Following the discussion of treatment options, as the tooth was unrestorable, he said he preferred to have the root removed under intravenous sedation at Arrowe Park Hospital rather than with local anaesthetic, as he was a very nervous patient.

“He did not have any known allergies and he had received prescriptions for amoxicillin on numerous occasions.”