I am opposed to the additional requirements as outlined in the Six Links document. Dentists and staff members are currently required to be trained in Basic Life Support and use of the Automated External Defibrillator. Those who use conscious sedation while treating patients are required to be certified in Advanced Cardiac Life Support.
The Six Links document would essentially require that all dentistsc(and staff members) be ACLS certified as a condition of licensure. The cost of compliance (equipment purchases and training) would be huge. Given that we currently have a yearly license renewal it is unlikely that every practicing dentist would be able to comply within the next year.
I also do not believe that this additonal regulatory burden would neccessarily make the delivery of dental care safer. As tragic as the death of any patient is, there is absolutely no level of regulation that is going to guarantee that there will not be another tragic outcome.
Dentists are already well prepared to handle medical emergencies which may occur during treatment. Additional regulation is unwarranted.