Two important changes which will help promote the welfare of young dental patients have been welcomed by the British Society of Paediatric Dentistry (BSPD).

The use of conscious sedation for the treatment of anxious patients is vital for paediatric dentists and BSPD has been concerned for some time at the regional inequalities in accessing conscious sedation services.

The new national standards have been produced by the Intercollegiate Advisory Committee for Sedation in Dentistry (IACSD) and define the education and training required by those who work in sedation teams, whether they are dentists, doctors, nurses or dental care professionals as well as the settings where conscious sedation should take place.

Of significance to paediatric dentistry is that children under 12 years whose oral health needs cannot be met with care under local analgesia and inhalation sedation should now be referred to a specialist sedation team for assessment1.

Dr Janice Fearne, President of the BSPD, welcomed the improvement in patient safety that the new standards would help bring about.

Dr Fearne said: ‘BSPD welcomes the strong focus on patient safety and recognises that our challenge now is to work with other special interest groups and those commissioning paediatric dental sedation services to support the implementation of these important recommendations.’

She said BSPD looked forward to working with the Dental Sedation Teachers Group and Consultant anaesthetist colleagues to ensure that the requirements of the new standards which relate to children are swiftly met.

The second important change is from the General Dental Council (GDC) which has announced that ‘safeguarding children and young people’ is to be included as a recommended continuing professional development (CPD) topic for dental professionals.