A new route to practise sedation independently: integrated conscious sedation training in dental core training

Standards for the provision of and training in dental sedation in the UK are outlined by the Intercollegiate Advisory Committee for Sedation in Dentistry. They detail the necessary curriculum and training that dental practitioners must complete to be able to practise conscious sedation independently. When reviewing the training requirements, it was considered possible to incorporate this into a dental core training scheme where trainees were undertaking sedation as part of their clinical duties. A programme was established to train dental core trainees to undertake independent sedation practice, which was submitted to the local office of Health Education England for validation. This has resulted in a number of dental core trainees becoming certified to independently provide conscious sedation, contributing to their continual professional development.