Summary:

A Full-Day Course for Dentists and Dental Auxiliary Staff

Where: San Francisco Airport Marriott Waterfront
1800 Old Bayshore Hwy
Burlingame, CA 94010

Speaker: Dr. Gina Salatino

Tuition: 
AGD members: $199.00
Non-AGD Member: $249.00

CE: 8 (Lecture) 
AGD Subject Code: 340 & 130 (Anesthesia & Pain Management/Electives)

Course Description: 

This full-day course equips general dentists and their auxiliary staff with the knowledge and practical skills needed to safely evaluate, monitor, and manage sedation patients in the dental office. Participants will review levels of sedation and associated risk, examine real-world case patterns in sedation-related morbidity and mortality, and gain hands-on familiarity with the monitoring tools most likely to catch a developing emergency before it becomes critical. The course places particular emphasis on building and rehearsing a functional in-office emergency response system — covering staff roles, drug and equipment readiness, and structured team communication during a code. Through case-based simulation and small-group drills, attendees will leave with a concrete framework for strengthening sedation safety in their own practice.

Course Objectives:

• Classify patients by ASA physical status and identify airway risk factors relevant to sedation candidacy.
• Differentiate between minimal, moderate, deep sedation, and general anesthesia, and describe the risk profile associated with each level.
• Interpret pulse oximetry, capnography, and auscultated heart/lung sounds to identify early signs of physiological compromise.
• Recognize common causes of monitoring failure in the dental office, including alarm fatigue and inadequate baseline documentation.
• Construct a written emergency management protocol that defines staff roles and response sequences.
• Apply emergency algorithms to simulated scenarios, including respiratory depression, laryngospasm, and allergic reaction.
• Demonstrate effective team communication and role delegation during the first 60 seconds of a sedation emergency.
• Evaluate office emergency drug kits and equipment for completeness, expiration tracking, and readiness.
• Design and lead an in-office mock emergency drill for their own team.
• Identify documentation practices that support both patient safety and legal defensibility in sedation cases.

About the Speaker:

A graduate from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine, Dr. Gina Salatino has served the Rocklin, California area as a general dentist since 2010. Gina was trained in moderate IV sedation while in dental school and for 6 years post graduate, she trained roughly half of the nation’s dental sedation providers in moderate IV sedation. Today she owns and maintains a full-time general dental practice, provides mobile moderate sedation services to dentists in the Northern California area, performs sedation evaluations for the Dental Board of California and operates a dental assisting program for teaching radiation safety. In 2015 she published a pocket drug guidebook to help fellow sedation providers with quick, easy, and helpful guidance while selecting or administering sedative drugs for sedation.

Gina is passionate about education and received her Masters in the Academy of General Dentistry in 2026.  In 2011 she was awarded her fellowship in DOCs sedation program.

Refund and Cancellation Policy:

• Registrations are subject to a $75 non-refundable processing fee.
• Cancellations made by email prior to 1/8/27 will receive a refund less the $75 processing fee.
• Cancellations made after 1/8/27 are completely non-refundable.
• Transfer of a registration to another name will be considered by email request through 1/8/27.
  

  Registration: