Experts FACT CHECK American Dental Association's 'Frequently Asked Questions' on 'Resolution 37'

SEATTLE, Oct. 21, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A group of scientists, academics, and dentists issued a 7,000-word FACT CHECK of the American Dental Association's official 'Frequently Asked Questions' pertaining to Resolution 37, a proposed revision to the ADA's Sedation and Anesthesia Guidelines.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161020/431102

Delegates to the ADA's House of Delegates are scheduled to vote the resolution up or down at the group's annual meeting which is underway in Denver.

DOCS Education, the nation's leading educator of sedation dentists, is issuing this news release as a professional courtesy. Graduates of DOCS Education courses were among those veteran dentists who contributed to the FACT CHECK.

The official ADA Resolution 37 FAQ was released by the ADA's Council on Dental Education and Licensure (CDEL), which drafted Resolution 37 and is advocating for its adoption. If approved by ADA Delegates, Resolution 37 will dramatically revise the ADA's recommended guidelines that govern the use of sedation and anesthesia, as well as related training requirements.

The entire 7,000-word FACT CHECK is available to read or download for free from: www.GetTheScience.com.

CDEL's official FAQ listed 15 Questions pertaining to Resolution 37 and offered CDEL's position on each Question.

The FACT CHECK, a collaboration reflecting the input of more than a dozen ADA members who are independent of CDEL, responds to each of CDEL's 15 assertions.

Among the conclusions reached by the FACT CHECK authors:

• The recommendations of CDEL do not comport with the ADA's Policy on Evidence-Based Dentistry, lacking peer-reviewed, science-backed substantiation, or clear clinical evidence.
• In Resolution 37, CDEL has proposed broad unneeded, unjustified, and scientifically unsound changes to the existing ADA 2007/2012 Guidelines.
• CDEL does not appear to be acting in the best interests of all dentists and their patients as its only priority. CDEL's arbitrary inclusion of some experts and evidence, and exclusion of others, taints its recommendations and conclusions.
• CDEL failed to weigh or place sufficient weight on the vast clinical experiences of the tens of thousands of dedicated dentists who regularly use moderate enteral sedation in their practices. Instead, the Council turned to "textbook" experts who seem compelled to recommend the changes proposed in Resolution 37 for change sake alone. There is no public health crisis in enteral sedation dentistry and no demonstrated need for Resolution 37.
• The lack of transparency in CDEL's process – especially after inviting public comment and testimony – undermines the Council's credibility, and calls into serious question the scientific, evidence-based validity of Resolution 37.
• Cosmetically, CDEL made an effort to solicit the comments and testimony of experts on the topic. But some of its "experts" were far less informed – and represented far less clinical experience with sedation dentistry – than others.
• CDEL failed to make even a cosmetic attempt to study the practical and financial impact that Resolution 37, if approved, will have on patients and their access to care.
• There are not and will not be sufficient courses to meet the needs of the dental profession, should Resolution 37 and its stricter sedation permit requirements be approved.
• Many thousands of dental permits will be in jeopardy if Resolution 37 is approved.
• The very credibility of the ADA as a champion of evidence-based science and public health is threatened by CDEL's action and the duplicity of Resolution 37.

Those wishing to learn more about Resolution 37 are asked to visit www.GettheScience.com, which features a variety of peer-reviewed journal articles on the topic of enteral sedation, as well as an audio replay and transcript of the National Dental Town Hall held earlier this month that addressed the lack of science behind Resolution 37.

Media Contact:
Michael Silverman
[email protected]
(877) 812-0130

SOURCE DOCS Education