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This message requires specific attention from moderate sedation facility owners who have not already submitted self-assessments. It is being distributed to all registrants and certified dental assistants because all clinical sedation team members in moderate sedation facilities are assessed.
In April, we announced that CDSBC is introducing a program to assess compliance of our registrants with moderate sedation standards and guidelines.
All registrants who own dental facilities where moderate sedation services (parenteral or enteral) are provided are required to participate in a confidential assessment process that includes self-assessments and in-office assessments.
This process will ensure compliance with the College’s Minimal and Moderate Sedation Services in Dentistry Standards and Guidelines and requires facility owners to correct deficiencies identified through the assessment process. All members of the clinical sedation team will also be assessed.
Self-assessments
All facility owners who have informed CDSBC that their facility provides moderate sedation services previously received a self-assessment package via email. The self-assessment involves documenting staff credentials, biomedical equipment maintenance and drug inventories. If deficiencies are identified, they must be rectified and proof of rectifications must be submitted to the College for review.
All initial moderate sedation self-assessments are due July 29, 2022. Registrants may continue to provide moderate sedation services while completing assessments, unless directed otherwise.
Facility owners who have not received a package or have questions regarding the assessments, please email sedation@cdsbc.org.
Submitting payment
Invoices will be sent to facility owners electronically after self-assessments are received. The moderate sedation facility assessment fee is $360; all CDSBC fees can be found in Schedule “E” Fees 2022/2023.
Payments can be made two ways:
Online
Accepted online payment methods include Mastercard and Visa credit cards, and some Interac cards (see more). Mastercard/Visa debit cards are not accepted.
Cheque
Please make cheques out to the College of Dental Surgeons of BC, and mail to:
CDSBC c/o Sedation Program
Suite 110-1765 West 8th Avenue,
Vancouver, BC V6J 5C6
Note: CDSBC does not accept payments by telephone, in cash, or those delivered in person as the CDSBC office remains closed to the public.
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Equipment and medical devices
Facility owners are responsible for ensuring equipment and medical devices are in full compliance with the Minimal and Moderate Sedation Services in Dentistry Standards and Guidelines. This includes reviewing frequency of equipment maintenance, ensuring servicing of equipment is completed by qualified personnel, and ensuring medical devices comply with provincial and federal regulations, i.e. devices must be purchased through a Health Canada authorized importer or distributor, and have approved electrical certification labels.
Registrants who have questions regarding their medical devices should contact their vendor or service agent.
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[accordion title="College%20introduces%20moderate%20sedation%20facility%20assessments%20%20(April%2012%2C%202022)"]
The College of Dental Surgeons of British Columbia is introducing an assessment process for moderate sedation facilities. Starting this spring,
all dental facilities that provide moderate sedation (parental or enteral) will be required to participate in a confidential assessment process that includes both self-assessments and in-office assessments.
This new process will ensure compliance with the College’s
Minimal and Moderate Sedation Services in Dentistry Standards and Guidelines and requires facility owners to correct any deficiencies that are identified through the assessment process. It also provides an opportunity for dentists providing moderate sedation to reflect on their practice and to assess their own knowledge, skills and abilities.
The sedation assessments will be conducted under the authority of the Sedation and General Anesthesia Committee with approval from the College Board.
Self-assessments to be completed by July 29, 2022 All facility owners who have informed the College that their facility provides moderate sedation services will receive a self-assessment package later this month, delivered electronically.
Self-assessments will involve documenting facility staff credentials, biomedical equipment maintenance and drug inventories. Self-assessment packages will be distributed electronically by April 19, 2022 and must be completed and submitted to the College by
July 29, 2022. All identified deficiencies must be rectified, and proof of rectification must be submitted to the College for review.
If you are a facility owner and you do not receive a self-assessment package by April 22, 2022, please email the sedation team at
sedation@cdsbc.org.
Four-year assessment cycle The assessment cycle for moderate sedation facilities will be four years, one of which will require an in-office assessment by College-appointed sedation assessors:
- In the first year of the cycle (2022-23), all moderate sedation facilities will complete a self-assessment.
- Between years two and four of the cycle, each moderate sedation facility will be visited and assessed once by a College-appointed assessment team. Depending on the findings, additional assessments may be required. Annual self-assessments will be required in the years other than the year when an in-office facility assessment is conducted.
- The four-year cycle is repeated until moderate sedation services are no longer provided in the facility.
Registrants may continue provision of moderate sedation services while completing their assessments, unless directed otherwise.
Assessment fees
The Moderate Sedation Self-Assessment Fee is $360. The fee for in-office assessments will
be $2,500. All CDSBC fees can be found in the Board-approved
Schedule “E” Fees 2022/2023.
Questions about this assessment process can be directed to the sedation team at
sedation@cdsbc.org.
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[accordion title="In-Person%20Course%20Work%20Extension%20for%20Sedation%2FGA%20Team%20Members%20(March%2031%2C%202021)"]
Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, some of our registrants who are clinical sedation and/or general anaesthesia team members have experienced difficulty registering for and/or attending required in-person courses. In recognition of this, we announced last April that courses with in-person components could be deferred. This deferral is extended again until May 1, 2021.
After May 1, individuals seeking further extension may email CDSBC’s sedation program coordinator Ruby Ma (rma@cdsbc.org) with a request. Proof of course registration or proof of intent to retrain are required. Cases will be reviewed on an individual basis. As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, the Sedation and General Anaesthesia Committee will also continue to consider further extension as appropriate.
Courses that may be deferred due to in-person components under this extension are:
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Basic Life Support
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Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support
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Pediatric Advanced Life Support
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Difficult Airway Course
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[accordion title="Changes%20to%20Sedation%2FGA%20requirements%20in%20response%20to%20COVID-19%20(April%2021%2C%202020)"]
CDSBC is seeking ways to reduce barriers to our registrants and support the need for physical distancing in order to prevent the transmission of COVID-19. The following announcement applies to sedation providers and to deep sedation and general anaesthetic service facilities.
We recognize that some regulatory processes and requirements for sedation and general anaesthesia may be difficult, or even impossible, to accomplish at this time. The following changes are intended to provide additional flexibility. We request that all documents be submitted electronically in order to avoid unnecessary delay.
In-office Assessments
All in-office assessments for deep sedation and general anaesthetic service facilities are being postponed. Rescheduling will begin July 2, 2020 at the earliest.
If your office is currently scheduled for in-office assessment between April 21 and June 30, 2020, we will contact you to reschedule.
Facilities with expiring Confirmation of Compliance between March 18 and July 1, 2020 will all be granted an extension until July 2, 2020. The College will contact individual facility owners for extensions as required; considerations for extension will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.
Fees will be deferred until in-office assessments are scheduled.
Annual Self-assessments
All facilities with annual self-assessments due between March 18 and July 1, 2020 are being granted extensions to July 2, 2020.
If your self-assessment is complete, please send it by email using a
password-protected PDF to Ruby Ma, Sedation Program Coordinator, at
rma@cdsbc.org.
In-person Courses
In-person course work that does not align with the overarching social distancing expectations may be deferred until June 30, 2020. If you are unable to renew by June 30, please email
rma@cdsbc.org to request a further extension. Cases will be reviewed on an individual basis. Courses that may need to be deferred due to the in-person components include Basic Life Support, Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support, Pediatric Advanced Life Support and the Difficult Airway Course.
Registration of Qualifications
Registrants who wish to register for moderate sedation, deep sedation, or general anesthesia are asked to email their application package in the form of a
password-protected PDF to Ruby Ma, Sedation Program Coordinator, at
rma@cdsbc.org.
If you have questions about these changes, please contact the CDSBC Sedation Program Coordinator, Ruby Ma, at
rma@cdsbc.org.
The changes described here have been approved by the Sedation and General Anaesthetic Services Committee.
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[accordion title="Clarification%20on%20Basic%20Life%20Support%20Certification%20for%20Sedation%20Team%20(November%2012%2C%202019)"]
Further to our
September 27 communication to registrants, clinical staff who are part of the sedation and/or general anaesthetic team are required to have current Basic Life Support (BLS) level certification
CDSBC's expectation is that clinical staff on the sedation team hold current BLS certification as defined by the course provider.
It is up to the registrant to determine whether the course meets CDBSC's requirements (see below) and that your certification is valid.
We recognize that there is a broad range of BLS course content and the course offerings are not consistent among providers. To provide clarity, the College will accept any BLS course that is designed for healthcare professionals, and that:
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Includes bag-valve-mask training (airway management)
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Has a hands-on component (courses entirely online are not acceptable)
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Has a certification length of not longer than 24 months
Note that CPR Level C is not acceptable for sedation and/or general anaesthesia clinical staff.
If you are uncertain about the validity of your certification, we recommend contacting your training provider.
Please note that the related standards and guidance documents will be updated in the coming months to reflect all of these changes.
*Basic Life Support (BLS) level certification replaces the previous CPR-HCP (Health Care Provider) requirement.
Questions? Contact Ruby Ma, Sedation Program Coordinator, at
sedation@cdsbc.org
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[accordion title="Important%20updates%20for%20registrants%20and%20facilities%20administering%20sedation%20and%20general%20anaesthesia%20(September%2027%2C%202019)"]
If you or your dental facility currently administers minimal, oral or parenteral moderate, deep sedation or general anesthesia, please ensure you read the following updates and ensure you understand how they relate to your practice.
Board-approved updates
A number of updates were approved by the CDSBC Board. The related standards and guidance documents will be updated in the coming months to reflect all of these changes. In the meantime registrants should refer to the following for the most up-to-date guidance.
Moratorium on the approval of pediatric moderate sedation certification
Registrants may only administer moderate sedation (both oral and parenteral) to patients who are 12 years of age and under in out-of-hospital dental facilities when they:
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are qualified and authorized to provide deep sedation and/or general anaesthesia, or
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have completed training in a formal postgraduate program in pediatric dentistry that meets CDSBC Standards.
Practitioners who do not fall under these categories must cease provision of moderate sedation services to patients 12 years of age and younger within three months of the day of this notice (i.e. by December 27, 2019).
Registrants who do not meet the specific requirements but wish to provide moderate sedation to patients 12 years old and younger may submit their
Registration of Qualifications for the Sedation & General Anaesthetic Services Committee’s consideration.
Revised criteria for moderate sedation mentors
Parenteral sedation cases are now accepted towards the 150-case requirement for mentors who wish to provide mentorship for moderate sedation utilizing multiple oral sedative drugs (with or without nitrous oxide/oxygen).
Basic Life Support (BLS) replaces previous CPR-HCP requirement
Clinical staff who are part of the sedation and/or general anaesthetic team are required to have current Basic Life Support (BLS) level certification, replacing the previous CPR-HCP requirement. The BLS course must include bag valve mask training. Per Heart & Stroke Foundation and Red Cross, annual retraining is required to maintain currency.
Current certificates with a 2-year expiry date are acceptable until January 1, 2020.
Essential drug lists revised / epinephrine dosage formatting updated
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Essential drug lists for deep sedation and general anaesthesia have been updated, and "highly recommend drugs" have been removed.
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References to epinephrine dosages have also been updated in accordance with the Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP) Canada's format recommendations. These changes are now reflected in the published online documents for
Deep Sedation Services in Dentistry and
General Anaesthetic Services in Dentistry. The Minimal and Moderate Sedation Services document will be updated to reflect the ISMP Canada format recommendation for epinephrine dosage in the coming months.
Maintenance and inspection frequency for nitrous oxide/oxygen equipment and addition of AED
Automated external defibrillator (AED) has been added to the minimum requirements for airway management and equipment in offices that provide moderate sedation, deep sedation, and general anaesthesia.
Nitrous oxide/oxygen equipment must have an appropriate scavenging system and be active whenever the equipment is in use.
Updated Addendum
A correction has been made to the second paragraph under Practitioner Administering Deep Sedation / GA (Qualifications) December 2016 addenda for Deep and GA.
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