Alberta
Oral Sedation Dentistry Regulations
The Alberta Dental Association and College advises dentists to complete a "training program, designed to produce competency in the use of the specific modality of conscious sedation, including indications, contraindications, patient evaluation, patient selection, pharmacology of relevant drugs, and management of potential adverse reactions" and obtain a Modality 3 permit before providing their patients with minimal or moderate sedation using an oral sedative with nitrous, supplemental dosing of an oral sedative, or more than one sedative agent.*
Find available oral sedation training courses
*Even when the intent is only a single dose of a single sedative (without nitrous), the ADA&C still advises “successful completion of a training program designed to produce competency in the specific modality of sedation utilized.”
DISCLAIMER: The ADA&C does not approve or endorse any particular product, service, or company.
Pediatric Sedation Dentistry Regulations
Sedation dentistry for children is a unique science and requires pediatric-specific training. The standard of care for providing pediatric sedation requires several hours of instructive classroom training with clinically-oriented experiences. Learn more about Pediatric Sedation Training Courses availabe nationwide.
IV Sedation Regulations
Most states require dentists to complete a 60-hour didactic course followed by 20 actual clinical patient cases of IV administration plus a permit in order to provide their patients with IV sedation. Find an IV Sedation Training course
Regulatory assistance: DOCS Education membership provides direct access to our full-time Regulatory Counsel for assistance in complying with the training and equipment requirements, obtaining your permit, and addressing advertising issues.
Why Do Oral Sedation?
Over 10 Million (nearly 30%) people throughout Canada are in need of dental care but too fearful to seek you out. To date, access to care for these patients has been limited. Now you can help.
Practicing oral sedation has many advantages for you, not the least of which is treating a more comfortable patient. Other advantages are: performing more dentistry in a single visit instead of having the patient come back again and again; bigger restorative cases from patients who were previously reluctant due to anxiety; and patients feeling little to no post-operative discomfort regardless of the procedure - resulting in more referrals.
And for your patients it means something else. A comfortable experience - often with no recollection of the visit or the time passed. I often hear of patients who call their dentist the next day not to complain, but to express their gratitude and delight in their first ever visit to the dentist without fear.
