Sedation and Anesthesia Protocols and Updates for Dentists

At the conclusion of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Differentiate minimal, moderate, and deep sedation and general anesthesia according to patient responsiveness and physiologic function.

2. Identify material changes introduced by the 2025 ADA sedation and anesthesia guidelines.

3. Select level-appropriate patient-assessment, monitoring, documentation, recovery, and emergency-readiness measures for dental scenarios.

4. Evaluate an office sedation protocol for alignment with current ADA guidance and controlling state requirements.

The 2025 American Dental Association (ADA) sedation and anesthesia guidelines introduced material updates affecting patient assessment, fasting evaluation, medication-dose documentation, oxygen administration, physiologic monitoring, emergency preparedness, and office protocols. Dentists whose policies and documentation remain based on the 2016 guidance may not recognize or consistently implement these changes.

This two-hour activity reviews the updated national guidance and helps dentists translate it into patient selection, monitoring, documentation, recovery, discharge, and emergency-readiness decisions. The activity does not provide initial sedation qualification, hands-on rescue training, permit preparation, or proof of compliance with state-specific requirements.