Practitioner Training in Procedural Sedation

Abstract

Practitioner training begins in dental school and can progress in advanced training and after graduation with continuing education courses. Training is based largely on sedation guidelines. Previous emphasis on drugs and pharmacology in training has diminished due to safety concerns. Training in accredited dental educational programs usually offers more rigor, control, and scientific base than courses found in the marketplace, and some specialty training programs specify requirements. States mandate training in a highly variable matrix of rules, equipment, emergency preparedness, and experiential thresholds for acquiring approval to provide sedation. Both accredited educational training offerings and those in the marketplace attempt to provide training to reach the standards set by the states for clinical practice. Auxiliary participants in procedural sedation also have access to training to fulfill personnel requirements in state practice acts and sedation guidelines. Training in procedural sedation continues to evolve as laws, technology, dental practice, and the clinical science of sedation change. State requirements for continuing education to maintain skills vary. Quality measurement, continuing competency requirements, and accountability for clinical outcomes will affect training in the future.