The Raven Maria Blanco Foundation, Inc. Partners with Dr. Larry J. Sangrik, D.D.S. And DentalEDU.TV

VIRGINIA BEACH, VA, September 08, 2010 (Press-News.org) The Raven Maria Blanco Foundation, Inc. (RMBF) is very proud to announce our affiliation with Dr. Larry J. Sangrik, nationally-known lecturer on medical emergencies within the dental profession and the online dental education website, DentalEDU.TV. Dr. Sangrik will be known as the National Director of Medical Emergency Preparedness with the RMBF. Dr. Sangrik has taken the concept of The Six Links of Survival (created by the Institute of Medical Emergency Preparedness) and developed a lecture series devoted to preparing the entire dental team for medical emergencies. Dr. Sangrik offers an in-person lecture on this topic, as well as an advanced, high-definition video lecture series seen through DentalEDU.TV. His goal within the dental community is to reduce the number of adverse events in dental offices through proper education and continual principles reinforcement. Dr. Sangrik has lectured to over 7,500 dental professionals on this topic and he says, "It is a privilege to work with RMBF in helping the dental profession become more aware of the need to be prepared for a medical emergency during the course of dental treatment. While dental office deaths are the 'headline news' item, we know these events represent only the tip of the iceberg of medical emergencies. Our goal is not to alarm patients into avoiding needed dental care. Instead, we seek to prepare dentists to meet any challenge they may encounter."

Since 1996, there have been 19 pediatric deaths related to complications due to dental procedures. This number accounts only for reported pediatric deaths. Shockingly, of the 19 deaths occurring within the 14 year period, FOUR have been within the last FOUR months. Yes, 21% of the deaths have occurred since April - add in Maddoux Cordova, the 22-month old Texas boy who died in December, and 1/3 of the deaths have happened within less than a year! What once may have been viewed as a rarity has clearly become an epidemic. Nicole Cunha, Raven Blanco's cousin and Executive Director of RMBF states, "The Raven Maria Blanco Foundation is elated to have Dr. Sangrik join our team as the National Director of Medical Emergency Preparedness. We are also excited to be part of bringing the Six Links of Survival course to the online dental community. We can turn tragedies into remedies through proper education and necessary equipment. These children are not just statistics. Their lives will empower the protection of pediatric dental patients nationwide by insuring that dentists and their support staff are Six Links compliant. We must move quickly."

DentalEDU.TV will serve as the medium where The Six Links of Survival course will be available. This informative high-definition course is dedicated to preparing dental offices for medical emergencies by delivering vital material that will be benefit for the entire dental team. This state of the art technology can only be found on one dental website - DentalEDU.TV. Furthermore, any state dental association or local dental society that has a website can also place this course directly on their site so members and staff can also receive the full potential of this course. Dr. Engle states, "DentalEDU.TV is proud to have been selected by RMBF and Dr. Sangrik to host this program to the Dental community. Using our educational platform, Healthcare providers will be able to complete this valuable Emergency training course in the comforts of their homes and at their leisure."

About RMBF:
The mission of RMBF is to increase awareness and enhance handling of medical emergency preparedness in dental offices across the United States in order to prevent pediatric dental deaths. RMBF aims to accomplish this by working through various dental channels including state dental associations, local dental associations and societies, and dental vendors.

This initiative has proven more challenging than raising funds given the resistance to change and the lack of regulatory support in this area.

The tragedy fallen on these 19 children could happen to any child, at any time, at any dental office in the nation. Adults are not immune to this either. A life-threatening medical emergency could happen at any time. Certainly, dentists and their staff want to be adequately prepared in the case of such an event. In those potential life-saving moments, will the proper education and equipment be available? Will their team have the necessary training to act quickly and confidently? Where can patients place their trust? Every patient and every dentist deserves the best when confronted with a medical emergency. Achieving this means keeping up with courses like the Six Links and others on a regular basis. Only in this way can we rest assure in readiness. We cannot nor will we ever say that we can predict the outcome of an adverse event; but we can promise preparedness if dentists actively participate with the Six Links. For more information please visit http://www.rmbfinc.org

About Dr. Larry Sangrik:
Larry J. Sangrik, D.D.S. graduated from Ohio State University where he received his bachelor's degree in biochemistry. He completed his dental degree at the Ohio State College of Dentistry in 1979. Subsequently, he completed the intravenous sedation program at Miami Valley Hospital of Dayton, Ohio and the comprehensive externship at Midwest Implant Institute.

Active in organized dentistry, Dr. Sangrik has long held numerous positions at both local and state levels. He currently serves as a state delegate to the Ohio Dental Association (ODA) and as a member of the ODA's Committee on Education and Licensure. He has also served as a consultant to the Ohio State Dental Board on a task force concerning the use of oral sedation.

Dr. Sangrik is a well-known dental CE lecturer in the areas of medical emergencies, dental fear, vital signs/patient monitoring, and nitrous oxide/oral sedation. He has been a featured speaker at the American Dental Association Annual Session, the Hinman Dental Meeting of Atlanta, the Yankee Dental Congress, the Chicago Midwinter Meeting, the Rocky Mountain Dental Convention, and at the dental schools of the University of Mississippi, Creighton University, and Virginia Commonwealth University. Additionally, he had addressed many state and regional dental conventions. He has written for Dentistry Today and has consistently been named as one of America's Leaders in Dental Continuing Education.

Dr. Sangrik maintains a full-time general practice in his hometown of Chardon, Ohio with an emphasis on the treatment of apprehensive patients with IV sedation. For more information, please visit http://www.chardondentist.com

About DentalEDU.TV:
DentalEDU.TV provides dental professionals with a high definition interactive service that enables their users to view training videos/ courses while earning valuable continuing education credits. Created by dental professionals for dental professionals, the website offers the highest quality educational content available in the dental industry.

http://www.DentalEDU.TV site offers both live and pre-recorded CE video programs covering a wide range of topics in all dental disciplines, including general dentistry, endodontic procedures, periodontal medicine, guided implant surgery, hard and soft tissue grafting, CAD/CAM, and more. DentalEDU.TV has one of the largest libraries of full length HD Dental video courses. New programs are frequently added. Dental professionals can log on anytime, browse the entire video library, select courses, view in full-screen, high-definition video, and earn required CE credits.

DentalEDU.TV is an approved ADA CERP, AGD PACE, Board of Florida, and Board of California content provider. With the successful completion of a course, the user can print their Certificate of Completion.

For more information, please visit http://www.dentaledu.tv or call 239-593-2178

The Raven Maria Blanco Foundation, Inc. is a 501 (C) (3) non-profit organization. Our main goal is to protect all pediatric dental patients by promoting emergency medical preparedness and by providing underprivileged children with dental hygiene products to help eliminate tooth decay.