Improving the Quality and Fairness of Sedation and Anesthesia Evaluations

Abstract

Most state dental boards require an in-office peer review to assure that a dentist seeking a moderate sedation or general anesthesia permit is practicing within the standard of care. Typically the dentists must not only perform a sedation or anesthetic to show the evaluators their use of monitoring and drug administration technique, but they must also demonstrate their equipment, medications, and knowledge to manage emergencies that might arise. The evaluators' report is accepted by the dental board since most of them do not have sufficient training to critically judge their quality and fairness.