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Training Guidelines

England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland

In case you are a little unsure as to which guidelines you should be following whether you are in England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland we have summarised the answer here: The Intercollegiate Advisory Committee for Sedation in Dentistry (IACSD) guidelines came out initially in April 2015 (updated 2020) with the aim of creating a UK-wide guideline document for conscious sedation in dentistry; this was soon implemented by NHS England and underwent a review process by the Chief Dental officers and assigned bodies in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. (It could not be implemented simultaneously in all countries of the UK as a result of the devolved nature of the health service) In Scotland the The Scottish Dental Clinical Effectiveness Programme (SDCEP) 2017 sedation guidelines are the latest to follow which reflect the IACSD guidelines in almost all aspects and in terms of conscious sedation education and training refer directly to the IACSD document. In Wales the IACSD guidelines alongside the SDCEP 2017 guidelines are also followed and training guidelines refer directly to the IACSD document again. In Northern Ireland currently the IACSD guidelines are yet to be fully implemented and so the Department of Health's advice is to continue to follow the ‘Minimum Standards Dental Care and Treatment’ (NI), 2011. Especially relevant are Standards 8.6 & 12.1-4. and ‘Conscious Sedation in the provision of dental care’, Standing Dental Advisory Committee report, Department of Health, 2003. As a result the training requirements are not quite as strict as those in the other UK countries but they are similar in terms of the need for both adequate and specific theory and mentored practical training as well as appropriate life support training.