SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois Board of Dentistry voted earlier today to recommend that Dr. Riba’s license to practice general dentistry be suspended for six months and then be placed on probation for a period of at least four years.  They also recommended that Dr. Riba’s specialty license for pediatric dentistry be suspended for at least three years.  Finally, the board recommended that Dr. Riba’s controlled substance license be suspended for a minimum of five years and that his permit to sedate patients be revoked.

Under the Dental Practice Act, Dr. Riba has 20 days to request a re-hearing on this case.  When the 20 days have passed, the board’s recommendation, along with the recommendations of the Administrative Law Judge (ALJ), the record and any request for re-hearing filed by Dr. Riba will be forwarded to the Director of the Division of Professional Regulation, Daniel E. Bluthardt, who will make a final determination on Dr. Riba’s licenses to practice dentistry.
Dir. Bluthardt ordered Dr. Riba’s licenses summarily suspended on September 30, 2006, less than one week after the Department learned that a five-year-old patient of the dentist’s was in a coma at Children’s Memorial Hospital.  The Department’s investigation included personal interviews and a comprehensive review of the records from the dentist, the hospital, and the results of the autopsy.  The Department has the authority to issue a summary suspension when it determines that the health and safety of the public may be in danger by the continued practice of a dentist. 
On October 13, 2006, the Department began a formal hearing before an ALJ to determine the facts of the case and whether the Dental Practice Act had been violated.  

The Board is composed of eleven members, ten of whom are either dentists or dental hygienists.  There is one public member on the board. The Board members, appointed by the Governor, are charged with advising the department in matters of dental practice, licensing and disciplinary issues.