The Dental Council has reviewed and updated its Medical emergencies in dental practice - practice standard (2016).
The review took place primarily to ensure the document was formatted consistently with other more recent practice standards which clearly set out the standards and provide guidance where appropriate.
The review also looked at the following areas more closely:
- Concerns expressed by dental therapists about the administration of adrenaline for anaphylaxis and whether the concentration described for administration in children is appropriate
- In response to the New Zealand Institute of Dental Technologists’ concerns, the position on oxygen was revisited
- Update the New Zealand Dental Association (NZDA) protocols contained in Appendices A and B of the practice standard and investigate whether these protocols are appropriate for children
- Liaise with resuscitation providers on concerns about training for dental practitioners administering emergency medicines
- Liaise with the New Zealand Resuscitation Council (NZRC) on any key changes to their guidelines that could impact on the practice standard.
In summary, the outcomes of the review are:
- Council considers that the updated medical emergencies practice standard places no new obligations on oral health practitioners, making consultation unnecessary.
- The title of the practice standard has been simplified to Medical emergencies practice standard.
- The updated practice standard maintains all the information in the 2016 practice standard, and has been formatted consistently with other, more recent, practice standards (standards and guidance)
- A small amount of further guidance has been added to the updated practice standard for standards 1,7, and 8
- References to ‘drugs’ in the 2016 practice standard have been changed to ‘medicines’ in the updated version
- Practitioners’ obligations for the use of oxygen have not changed, including for clinical dental technicians
- Practitioners are encouraged to discuss their training needs with their resuscitation course providers when booking, to enable them to competently administer adrenaline or oxygen, as relevant, in a medical emergency
- Appendices A and B of the practice standard have been updated to reflect current ANZCOR guidelines and NZRC published information.
Practitioners must familiarise themselves with the updated medical emergencies practice standard to ensure they comply. Details of the review and the rationale for the Council’s decisions are in the review outcome document.