With the purpose of raising awareness about safe sedation dentistry, thousands of dentists around the country kicked off Sedation Safety Week (SSW) today with the popular “7-Step Sedation Dentistry Safety Checklist: A Review of Protocols, Equipment and Supplies”—an absolute necessity for sedation dentists. The checklist is created by DOCS Education, the nation’s leading sedation continuing education organization and also the host of SSW. DOCS Education’s co-founder and SSW chairman, Dr. Michael Silverman, hopes for all dentists to take some time this week to focus on safety precautions.“No matter where sedation dentists received their sedation dentistry training, we encourage everyone who provides their patients with this comfortable method to use this special week to freshen and review their safety training,” Silverman says. The 7-Step Sedation Dentistry Safety Checklist is intended as a reminder for dentists and their team members of key steps they can take this week to assure all their patients have a safe, comfortable, effective and pain-free office visit throughout the year. The checklist is designed strictly for those dentists and oral health professionals who have also received specialized training in sedation safety. 7-Step Safety Checklist:

  1. Check all of your monitoring and emergency equipment this week to ensure that it is up-to-code and in working order, including your pulse oximeter, blood pressure monitor, automated external defibrillator and supplemental oxygen delivery system.
  2. Make note of the expiration dates of all your oral sedation medications, emergency drug kit medications, AED pads and AED battery. Continue your weekly checks and documentation of the oxygen levels in your emergency tanks. Place orders this week for any items within 90 days of expiration or if emergency oxygen tank pressure is not completely full.
  3. Make certain your office is equipped with an EZ-IO® intraosseous infusion system if 1) you do not have IV certification or 2) are required to have equipment for establishing IV access and do not feel comfortable running an IV line in an emergency. This equipment provides immediate vascular access for delivering emergency life-savings drugs. Review procedures for using the system.
  4. Run an emergency drill this week and schedule routine practice drills for the months ahead. This is a team-wide effort and everyone should participate. Review where all emergency drugs and equipment are stored and be certain they are easily accessible.
  5. Review your patient intake procedures with all team members and specifically for all scheduled sedation dentistry patients. Always cross-reference your patient's medications, supplements, vitamins, and herbs with the sedative and anesthetic medications you plan to administer. Use a comprehensive program such as Lexi-Comp® drug software. If there are any doubts, confer with a patient's physician ahead of any treatment and document the conversation.
  6. Be certain that you are current on your CPR and/or ACLS (advanced cardiac life support training). Sign up for a refresher course if it is time or if you would feel more confident taking one. Also, make sure your team members are current on their CPR training and that everyone in the office knows how to operate the pulse oximeter and AED.
  7. Register yourself and your team members for refresher courses or advanced training from a trusted and reliable educator, such as DOCS Education. Even those who regularly treat patients with sedation dentistry will benefit from reviewing the very latest safety insights as well as previous course materials.

Dentists who would like more information on sedation dentistry safety or wish to order supplies are encouraged to call (877) 325-3627. That is also the number to contact to register for sedation dentistry and sedation dentistry safety courses.

The information contained in this, or any case study post in Incisor, should never be considered a proper replacement for necessary training and/or education regarding adult oral conscious sedation. Regulations regarding sedation vary by state. This is an educational and informational piece. DOCS Education accepts no liability whatsoever for any damages resulting from any direct or indirect recipient's use of or failure to use any of the information contained herein. DOCS Education would be happy to answer any questions or concerns mailed to us at 3250 Airport Way S, Suite 701 | Seattle, WA 98134. Please print a copy of this posting and include it with your question or request.
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