By Roger G. Sanger, DDS, MS

You may or may not have previously attended a DOCS Education Pediatric Sedation Dentistry (PSD) course. In any event, let me inform you of some updates to our curriculum. But, first, let me tell you what I see in my "crystal ball" for pediatric dentistry and pediatric sedation.

The Future of Pediatric Dentistry

In short, the future in pediatric dentistry and pediatric sedation is very bright. Why? Caries is now considered an epidemic disease. From young children to teens, caries incidence is on the rise. This coupled with a sustained birth rate of about 4 million per year gives rise to the perfect storm: more kids with more cavities.

Add to that permissive parenting; no matter what their ethnicity or socioeconomic status, parents today are very permissive. The situation is exacerbated when both parents are employed outside of the home and the children are in the hands of a caregiver, who tend to be even more permissive. This permissive rearing of children has lead to not only the caries epidemic but also limited control of difficult behavior by children.

The Game Changer

So, we have a caries epidemic, permissive parenting, lack of behavior management and the need for multiple dental visits.... Well, you get the picture. We need a game changer.

Here it is: a single, "no memory" visit. Here's how you do it: safe, in-office oral conscious sedation. More production in less time; the kids are happy, parents are happy and you and your staff are happy. I can tell you this: The DOCS Education oral sedation protocol using the "no memory" anesthetic midazolam supplemented with hydroxyzine and nitrous is a game changer in pediatric dentistry.

Specialized Training with DOCS Education

DOCS Education has been offering pediatric sedation courses since 2009. But in 2015, we decided it was time for a revamp. State dental boards were asking us to teach not only sedation but also airway management. So, the new three-day PSD course now contains a full day of Advanced Pediatric Airway Management (APAM), with hands-on surgical airway access performed on animal cadavers and IO and IN rescue drugs administered on cadaver bones and manikins.

Then, we took the seven most common emergencies that could occur under sedation and programmed them into computerized human simulators for additional hands-on emergency management training. Plus, the APAM training qualifies you for a PALS certificate, if you take an AHA-approved PALS online course and pass the test before you attend PSD.

Next, we added a separate break-out training day devoted to team members, and conducted by a pediatric dentist and faculty member who has trained hundreds of staff members in his practice.

The team is essential for not only safe sedation but also efficient sedation. We have found over the years that the dentists who bring their staff members to courses achieve a greater level of competency and efficiency, and are more able to implement sedation than doctors who did not bring staff. Plus, you get the added bonus of team building from the interaction that is taking place outside of the office environment.

Lastly, we continue to offer a one-day Personalized Learning Experience (PLE) course in the surgicenter office of the PSD faculty for both the doctor and his/her staff. During this over-the-shoulder training teams get a chairside view of over 15 cases using pediatric sedation with two faculty doctors and their staff. It's an excellent opportunity to witness the "game changing" dental procedures that these teams perform. I paraphrase a recent doctor who took the PLE course: I saw actual sedation and experienced dental procedures being performed in less time than I could ever imagine. Just picking up some tricks from the experts paid for the course.

The Rise of "Pedonomics"

Recently, I coined a new term called "pedonomics." I described how pediatric dentistry can be a huge financial impact on your dental practice in two articles that were published in two issues of Dental Economics. I discussed the "game changers" that are making pediatric dentistry better, faster and easier. As I mentioned before, one of these game changers is the "no memory" oral conscious sedation drug midazolam (Versed®). It is widely accepted by parents for not only its amnesic qualities, but also its quick onset, good working time, fast elimination time, reversal agent and overall safety.

Don't Get Left Behind

Sedation is very popular in medicine today in such specialties as ENT, plastics, derm, GI, radiology, etc. It is becoming more popular in dentistry as adult and children patients want comfort and convenience in their dental care.

Don't get left behind in offering safe and effective sedation for the invasive procedures you do for your adult and pediatric patients. Let DOCS Education be your go-to place for sedation education. Our faculty members are in the trenches with clinical care practiced in both hospital institutions and private practices.

Learn from a faculty of doers—not just teachers.

The next Pediatric Sedation Dentistry course is coming up:
Join us in San Francisco - February 19-21, 2016
Sign up now!

Dr. Sanger

Roger G. Sanger, DDS, MS
Dr. Sanger is a veteran pediatric dentist, and a DOCS Education faculty member and the Director of Pediatric Sedation Dentistry Curriculum.
Full bio here.

 


 

Disclaimer

The information contained in this, or any case study post in Incisor should never be considered a proper replacement for necessary training and/or education regarding adult oral conscious sedation. Regulations regarding sedation vary by state. This is an educational and informational piece. DOCS Education accepts no liability whatsoever for any damages resulting from any direct or indirect recipient's use of or failure to use any of the information contained herein. DOCS Education would be happy to answer any questions or concerns mailed to us at 106 Lenora Street, Seattle, WA 98121. Please print a copy of this posting and include it with your question or request.

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The information contained in this, or any case study post in Incisor, should never be considered a proper replacement for necessary training and/or education regarding adult oral conscious sedation. Regulations regarding sedation vary by state. This is an educational and informational piece. DOCS Education accepts no liability whatsoever for any damages resulting from any direct or indirect recipient's use of or failure to use any of the information contained herein. DOCS Education would be happy to answer any questions or concerns mailed to us at 3250 Airport Way S, Suite 701 | Seattle, WA 98134. Please print a copy of this posting and include it with your question or request.
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