There seems to be a lot of confusion these days about the safety of sedation while at the dentist. The fact is, many children, adults, and those with disabilities wouldn’t be able to get the oral health care they need without IV sedation.
The recent death of Caleb Sears age 6 and Marvelena Rady age 3, are just two of the many children who have died or sustained serious complications (such as prolonged stays in the hospital and permanent brain damage) while in a dental office undergoing anesthesia.
In most states, it is the state dental boards who have the authority he regulations and to issue permits for anesthesia, not the medical boards.
Are we going far enough when it comes to protecting our children?
The safety concern is the single ‘operator-anesthetist’ model practices by many dentists. While many people have never heard of this type of practice, yet it is being done every day.
A single ‘operator-anesthetist’ can be compared to a surgeon performing both the procedure and the sedation at the same time. In a surgical setting a physician anesthesiologists often needs the assistance from a nurse anesthesiologist, as well as a medical assistant and registered nurse.
While many dentists are doing both the procedure and sedation by themselves or they have a dental sedation assisted supervising the procedure. How much training does a dental assistant have? Dental Careers EDU describes “Dental assistants in New Hampshire may perform supportive functions under the general or direct oversight of a licensed dentist. There are no education or training requirements for this level of dental assisting.”
“The single operator anesthesia model is accepted nowhere in medicine, but exists only in dentistry,” Paula Whiteman, representing the American Academy of Pediatrics of California.
Patients have the right to know and demand higher safety standards
If you are considering IV sedation for your next dental visit, make sure safety is a priority by having a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist there to bring hospital-level sedation to your dentist’s office.
Âs Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA) licensed to practice in both Florida and New Hampshire, Dwayne Thibeault also has a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) from the University of North Florida in Jacksonville, 20+ years in trauma/critical care settings caring for patients of all ages and backgrounds and an active member of the American Association of Nurse Anesthetists (AANA), the Florida Association of Nurse Anesthetists (FANA) and the New Hampshire Association of Nurse Anesthetists (NHANA).
