WA statewide proposal scrutinizes deep sedation procedures at dental offices
Statewide proposal scrutinizes deep sedation procedures at dental offices
A proposal in Olympia would elevate industry regulations and guidelines to state law when it comes to all deep sedation procedures in dental offices. It’s a move supporters say could provide clarity and potentially prevent deaths but opponents argue it’s unnecessary, costly and limits access.
SEATTLE - A proposal in Olympia would elevate industry regulations and guidelines to state law when it comes to all deep sedation procedures in dental offices.
It’s a move supporters say could provide clarity and potentially prevent deaths, but opponents argue it’s unnecessary, costly and limits access.
Senate Bill 6138, sponsored by Sen. Jeff Holy, R-Cheney, would mandate a "multi-provider system" whenever deep sedation is administered in a dental office. Deep sedation refers to a state in which a patient can breathe on their own but is on the verge of unconsciousness.
Dental work while sedated
Dig deeper:
Under current law, a dentist can perform deep sedations as long as they have the training and hold the required permits.
The proposal wants to set a statewide law that prohibits a dentist from performing sedations while doing the dental procedure at the same time.
Those responsibilities would instead be handled by a separate individual who is specifically tasked with monitoring the sedation aspect of the patient.
What they're saying:
"The bill defines a multi-provider system as a system where the dentist performing the dental procedure and the person who is sedating and monitoring the patient are two distinct individuals with separate tasks," Jacob Ewing, a staff member for the Senate Health and Long-Term Care Committee, said during a public hearing.
Kevin Van De Wege of the Washington Association of Nurse Anesthesiology also testified in support of Holy’s proposal.
"Providing deep sedation while doing the procedure is unheard of in surgical wards, yet it’s commonly performed in dental offices across the state every day, it brings great liability to the provider and danger to the patient." Van De Wege said.
The backstory:
Holy said the bill was prompted by his concern after he detected a pattern in deaths.
"In two and a half years, we’ve had three people who have died from something in a dentist’s office that was not a life-threatening surgery or expected medical procedure. That really gives me pause." Holy said.
Holy said one of those deaths involved someone in his district who died linked to a wisdom tooth procedure.
During the public hearing, one lawmaker asked for hard data on deaths related to dental sedation. That information was not readily available during the public hearing on January 23.
The other side:
Groups representing anesthesiology professionals testified in support of the proposal. However, organizations representing oral surgeons and dentists opposed the bill, saying existing regulations already provide adequate safeguards.
"The reason that the change in the RCW is not necessary is because the current dental anesthesia regulations require a multi-provider team of three health care providers to administer deep sedation or general anesthesia in the dental office," Beirne said.
Dr. Abhishake Banda of the Washington State Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery also testified saying making sweeping changes over rare cases would create widespread impacts.
"This bill would abruptly dismantle an already safe evidence based system of care, deaths in Oral Surgery offices are exceedingly rare with literature showing far lower fatality rates than the industry standards," Banda said.
Opponents also argued the bill would overburden dental offices, leading to severe delays in care and increased costs. Supporters countered that the proposal highlights what they see as a gap that needs clarification.
What's next:
Lawmakers are scheduled to do a broader debate on the SB 6138 in the Health and Long Term Care Committee on Tuesday, February 3rd.
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The Source: Information in this story comes from original reporting by FOX 13 Seattle anchor Hana Kim.