Inhalation Sedation in Ireland. The present situation

 

Today I have exchanged e-mails with a reliable source with knowledge of the details of dental sedation and specifically inhalation sedation in Ireland.

There has always been considerable interest from GDPs from the Irish Republic for my courses and indeed, before the Irish economic crisis, I did run the course on 3 occasions in Ireland, as a guest of Dr. Anne O'Donnell both in Wexford and Dublin. 

We had 2 Irish delegates attend our Newbury-based course last month alone and continue received enquiries.  Remember of course that the IACSD guidelines do not apply in Ireland.

To help clarify the current situation I have exchanged questions and answers with my source as follows:

1) Are you able to help me understand the current situation in Ireland regarding GDPs wishing to offer Inhalation Sedation?  Those who have done so in the past. Can they continue?      YES

 

2) Those who have approached me to seek training. YES see below

3) Is it possible for them to undertake theoretical and practical training with me here in the UK and then begin to use the technique in Ireland?   The guidelines currently state a postgraduate course must be completed.

 

 4) Would they require a similar/certain number of cases under supervision before operating unsupervised?   Yes

 

If so who can supervise those cases?   Expected to be part of a postgraduate course.

 

Have or will the Dental Council of Ireland take the same line as the UK DoHs and set aside/ignore the IASCD guidelines, which in any case would not have applied?

"The guidelines are currently been reviewed and will probably will similar to the IACSD guidelines"

 

"Usually an application is made to the Dental Council and they would normally look for course's credentials  / certifying authority."

 

"A logbook -10 Supervised RA in the last year and a minimum of 20 cases / year since the course if a few years ago for RA alone"

 

"BLS updated and if paediatric patients exposure to paediatric BLS"

 

So on this basis, I suppose that once the Dental Council of Ireland has published its guidelines, it would be open to me to apply to have my courses recognised, if I wished to. Given also my accreditation by IACSD, the Council could be minded to accept this as "a post-graduate course". We shall see.

I must leave it to individuals working in Ireland to come to a decision for themselves based on this information as to what the way forward is for themselves.

Richard Charon BDS

IACSD Accredited Trainer in Inhalation Sedation.