Here is Marissa’s deadly poisonous cocktail -
Propofol — the anesthetic that was listed as a “contributing factor” in pop star Michael Jackson’s death
Ketamine
Remifentanil
Versed
The dosage of each of these drugs have not been released. Why?
Teen’s death while sedated for dental work ruled accidental
Filed by Cindy Leise April 8th, 2011
ELYRIA — A coroner’s verdict states that 13-year-old dental surgery patient Marissa Kingery died of lack of oxygen to the brain after she was sedated with four drugs.Marissa “apparently became ill and collapsed” at 8:39 a.m. Dec. 21 following intravenous sedation in the offices of oral surgeon Dr. Henry Mazorow on West 21st Street in Lorain, according to the report from the Cuyahoga County Coroner’s office.
Paramedics took her to Mercy Medical Center, where doctors diagnosed respiratory arrest. She was flown to Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital in Cleveland, where she was placed on a ventilator, according to the report.
She was given drug treatment and an operation was performed, according to the coroner’s verdict, which stated supportive care was maintained but Marissa failed to respond and was pronounced dead at 9:40 p.m. Jan. 3.
The death was ruled accidental due to diffuse hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy — damage to the brain that also occurs in carbon monoxide poisoning and many cases of shaken baby syndrome.
In Mazorow’s office, the drugs propofol — the anesthetic that was listed as a “contributing factor” in pop star Michael Jackson’s death — ketamine, remifentanil and Versed were administered to Marissa in what is commonly known as “twilight sleep” or light sedation.
Attorney Michael Czack, who represents Marissa’s family, did not return phone calls and Marissa’s parents, Amber McEwen and Jason Kingery, also were unavailable for comment.
Marissa’s case is the latest pediatric death being monitored by a foundation founded by the family of 8-year-old Raven Maria Blanco of Chesapeake, Va., who died after being administered sedatives during a dental procedure.
Raven Blanco Foundation’s director of medical emergency preparedness, Dr. Larry Sangrik, said the foundation has tracked 19 pediatric deaths related to dental complications since 1996, including six children who have died since January 2010.
Sangrik, a dentist in Chardon, refused to second guess Mazorow’s decision to administer the four-drug sedation to Marissa, saying, “all the drugs in Marissa’s case are very tightly regulated in the state.” [aren’t all drugs?]
Sangrik has been speaking to the dental community about readiness in dealing with medical emergencies.
“The issue is if you do run into anesthesia complications, then you need to be prepared to address those immediately,” Sangrik said. “Children in particular run out of oxygen very quickly — the volume of air left in their lungs is disproportionately small and is used up very quickly.”
Exactly what was done at Mazorow’s office to revive Marissa is unclear. The coroner’s report does not state whether Mazorow’s staff attempted treatment before paramedics arrived.
Mazorow, who turned 81 in January, did not return phone calls for comment on the coroner’s report. His attorney, Ronald Mingus, declined to talk about the case, except to say his client is no longer administering intravenous anesthesia during dental procedures.
Under Ohio law, Sangrik said, Mazorow was required to have additional training every two years as an oral surgeon with a permit for general anesthesia.
Marissa’s death is under investigation by the Ohio Dental Board, which did not take any action against Mazorow in the 1997 death of 57-year-old Rosemary Johnson of Grafton, who died while having six teeth extracted.
Johnson’s family settled a wrongful death case against Mazorow for $550,000 in 1999, according to court records.
The dental board’s executive director, Lili Reitz, was unavailable for comment, a staff member said.
Meanwhile, Marissa’s death is one of the cases being examined by “Good Morning America” in a report expected to air in the next several weeks, said Raven Blanco’s cousin, Nicole Cunha, executive director of the foundation, which is located in Virginia Beach, Va.
“What we’re finding is most dental offices in America aren’t qualified to handle these medical emergencies,” Cunha said.
Contact Cindy Leise at 329-7245 or cleise@chroniclet.com.
It has been reported that the Ohio Dental Board is investigating but that may be where the problem lies. 
Attorney, Lili Reitz has been director of the Ohio Dental Board for far too many years in my opinion, and has fell asleep on the job. I have spent hours searching various Laws, Regulations and Act for the state of Ohio and so far, I’ve not found just how the “Executive Director” becomes Executive Director.
Reitz has been ED since 1996 after serving as Assistant Attorney General in Ohio. She graduated from Cleveland Marshall College of Law in November 1990.
It appears you just get appointed as Executive Director by who you know since I’m sure the Dental Board did not post for applicants. No doubt, having an Attorney as the Executive Director
for the Dental Board is a huge plus, for Dentists under fire, that is. Or maybe you become Executive Director by a Wizards Wand, you could just show up one day and proudly announce, “Hi, I’m the Executive Director of this Board. Everything now comes and goes through me, without exception!”
When this story first broke and questions arouse about the death of Rosemary Johnson, a patient who also died on Dr. Mazorow’s watch in 1997. At the time of Rosemary’s death, Dr. Mazorow was 67 years old. Reitz told reporters the documents and other pertinent information on the Johnson death no longer existed. Essentially it had been burned after 5 years! Personally, I have shoes older than that.
The Ohio Dental Board
The governor appoints the members of the Ohio Dental Board which is supposed to consist of 13 members, it used to be just 7, see below.
9 – graduates of reputable dental college, citizens of the US, have been in legal and reputable practice for at least 5 years preceding their appointment. 2 must be specialist
3 – shall be graduates of reputable school of dentistry in the US and shall have been in a legal and reputable practice of dental hygiene in the state for five years preceding appointment. Only one of the hygienist can be an instructor.
1 – Shall be a member of the public at large who is not associated with or financially interested in the practice of dentistry.
Most dental board nominees are recommended to Governors for appointment by state dental associations with little more than fanfare than a name on a sticky note handed to the Governor as his assistant is dialing the lucky winner’s phone number.
In Ohio, according to Ohio Revised Statue 4715.02 the state dental association may submit the names of five nominees for each position to be filled by a dentist and from the names so submitted or from others, at the governor’s discretion, the governor shall make the appointments. 12 x 5 = 60 members the state dental association may submit.
-- No person shall be appointed on the dental board who is employed by or practices in a corporation holding a certificate of authority under Chapter 1751 of the Ohio Revised Code.
-- Terms are for 4 years and no more than 2 consecutive terms.
| Ohio Board Of Dentistry – April 2011 | ||
| 1. | Lawrence Kaye, DDS | |
| 2. | Douglas Wallace, DDS | |
| 3. | William Leffler, DDS | |
| 4. | Ketki Desai, DDS | |
| 5. | Jacinto Beard, DDS | |
| 6. | W. Chris Hanners, DDS | |
| 7. | Billie Sue Kyger, DDS | |
| 8. | Mary Ellen Wynn, DDS | |
| 9. | NOT FILLED | |
| Hygienist | ||
| 1. | Clifford Jones, R.D.H. (expired 4-7-2011-60 days until replacement) | |
| 2. | Linda Staley R. D. H. | |
| 3. | NOT FILLED | |
| Public Member | ||
| 1. | James Lawrence – Peninsula - President and CEO of Oriana House | |
| Oriana House is one of those “my teen is out of control, here, fix ‘em” and while you’re at it, bill the US taxpayer. Much like Keystone Group, of Small Smiles’s Michael Lindley fame. Geez, I bet these guys are members of some “Fix the teen, Tricks the system” “association”. See Below. * |
In 2003, HB 156 and SB 51 were introduced in Ohio and backed by the Ohio Dental Association. These bills rescinded the basic requirements of proven minimum competency. Yes, you read that correctly, “rescinded”!
A member of the board, Dr. Eleanore Awadalla tried to explain to the idiots at the State Capitol, that mandating the Dental Board to accept, dental license applicants no matter where they were tested or who did the testing was nuts. Some of these regional testing companies did not require students to pass all parts of the exam! As she explained, an applicant could fail the restorative part of the exam and pass it over all. Then turned loose on the unsuspecting citizens of Ohio.
The bill also proposed to increase the size of the Board from 7 to 14 hit opposition by Dr. Edward Hills, then president of the Ohio Dental Board. Hills highly objected this increase saying it would “water down” the power of the board. Dr. Hills would be pleased to know even though the number of board members was increased, if the positions are not filled, it’s a moot point.
Depending on the “integrity” of the Dental Board this prohibition could have been good thing or a bad thing. The bills introduced back then also would have also limited the “term” of board members from 5 years / 2 terms to 3 years / 2 terms. It is currently 4 years / 2 terms.
Dr, Hills pointed out that the new laws specifically prohibited Board members from affiliating with these regional testing boards. All the other states were, Ohio would be the first not to be allowed to do so.As it currently stands for Ohio in 2011, if a student graduated from an “accredited” dental college, in the US or anywhere else in the world that Ohio deems “accredited; is 18; passes at least Parts I & II given by the National Board of Dental Examiners or has a valid license from some other state; can tell you the Ohio dental rules and regulations, well, at least 70% of them, if tested; fills out a form and swears it’s all true; pays a fee; you are good to go.
Ohio Dental Laws
Make up of Ohio State Dental Board – 4715.02
Register Of Ohio – Ohio Dental Board Duties
Ohio Administrative Procedure Act – Title 1 Chapter 119 of ORC 119.0311—An agency must prepare and publish a guide to assist members of the public who participates or wish to participate in the rule-making procedures of the agency.
REGIONAL TESTING
NERB – North Eastern Regional Board of Dental Examiners
SRTA – Southern Regional Testing Agency
CRDTS – Central Region Dental Testing Service, Inc.
WREB – Western Regional Examining Board
DOCS – Dental Oral Conscious Sedation Education
* James J. Lawrence – Received the Margaret Mead Award, in November 2010. The Mead Award is the highest honor from the International Community Corrections Association. He started Orianna House after working at the Edwin Shaw Hospital, in 1981, providing “services” in the chemical dependency units.
He now enjoys owning an agency that employees over 500 people at 17 facilities in three Ohio cities. Lawrence received his Master’s Degree in Sociology from Kent State University with a concentration on “corrections”. He headed up the push for the Community Corrections Act of Ohio and has worked with the Ohio Sentencing Commission.
I know it’s just me, but Mr. Lawrence seems to be one of the “Good Ole Boys” not exactly a “member of the public” say… like… Ms. Jane Smith on Maple Street, who volunteers in the after school program at the school where her 3 small children attend.
