The Development of Dental Anesthesiology As a Discipline and Its Role As a Model of Interdisciplinary Collaboration

The majority of dental procedures can be performed with an awake patient and the use of a local anesthetic, but when deep sedation and general anesthesia are needed, they typically are provided by those dentists with advanced training in anesthesiology, i.e., oral and maxillofacial surgeons and dentist anesthesiologists. Dental anesthesiology began with the discovery of anesthesia by a dentist in 1844 and has been recognized as a separate discipline in dentistry for nearly 70 years. Training over this time evolved from apprenticeships to one-year training programs, and in 2007, the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) began accrediting two-year dental anesthesiology training programs. Since 2015, in recognition of the increasing complexity of the discipline, training has required three years of postgraduate study. The number of dentist anesthesiologists has grown with the increasing demand for anesthesia services by both the public and the profession. However, the present number of dentist anesthesiologists is not sufficient to meet the demand, so additional programs and growth in current programs are needed. Another valuable aspect of this discipline is its role as a positive example of interdepartmental collaboration since dental anesthesiology faculty, as members of a support discipline, typically work across many of the other departments in a dental school. This article reviews the history of the discipline, describes the educational goals and CODA standards for dental anesthesiology programs, using one program as an example, and discusses the needs and challenges that will shape the discipline's development in the future.