TEAM 1500 to Present "Does the Route of Dental Sedation Matter?" - A Free Teleconference

Dr. Dionne, a research professor in the School of Dental Medicine atEast Carolina University, is the co-author of Management of Pain and Anxiety in Dental Practice and has published more than 100 scientific manuscripts related to his work on pain and pain control.

Previously, Dr. Dionne served as Chief, Pain and Neurosensory Mechanism Branch at NIDCR (National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research) and Scientific Director at the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) National Institute of Nursing Research.

Questions surrounding the route used by dentists to sedate fearful and anxious patients – oral v. intravenous – are at the heart of a heated debate currently dividing the national dental community and members of the American Dental Association.

While some dentists contend that all routes of administration to achieve a specific level of consciousness should be treated equally, a majority of general dentists – including Dr. Dionne, cite extensive scientific and clinical evidence to support their conclusion that oral and intravenous dental sedation should not be regulated as equivalent methods.

General dentists who administer oral sedatives have treated more than 20 million dental patients in the U.S. safely, effectively, and without incident.

A controversial proposal now before the ADA's House of Delegates would require those dentists who provide oral sedation to obtain the same, rigorous and costly training that currently applies only to those dentists who are trained to use intravenous sedation in their practices. 

Critics of the ADA proposal, known as Resolution 77, contend the additional training is superfluous and does nothing to increase the safety of dental patients. To the contrary, if ADA Resolution 77 is approved, it will drive hundreds of thousands of patients away from seeing a dentist altogether because the costs of many basic sedation dentistry services will double.

Dr. Dionne will address the scientific and clinical basis for concluding that oral sedation and intravenous sedation should not be lumped together when it comes to training guidelines and regulations.

Those who register for the briefing, but are not able to participate live, will receive instructions on how to listen to a replay of the teleconference.

TEAM 1500, a coalition of more than 1,500 health care providers, opposes passage of ADA Resolution 77.  Earlier this week, TEAM 1500 published results of its ADA Resolution 77 Economic Impact Study.  The study reports that fearful and anxious dental patients who require treatments that utilize oral sedation will have to pay as much as twice current fees if ADA Resolution77 is approved.

Source: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/team-1500-to-present-does-the-route-of-dental-sedation-matter---a-free-teleconference-300169344.html

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