I have been providing conscious sedation since 2007 and have been cnstantly amazed at how much  patients love this option for dental treatment.  It provides a reasonably priced option that is both safe and manageable.  I believe the new regulations requiring EKG monitoring as well as the dentist being in the room for the entire appointment will make this option for care unreasonable for most general dentists.

Since most dentists do not provide IV or IO medications,even if we detected an arrythmia, we would be unable to provide the proper medications to treat the underlying problem.  In light of this, it appears the EKG requirement offers little added saftety to the patient.

As for the dentist being in the room for the entire appointment, most dental offices are small by nature and the dentist will never be more than 20 feet away from the patient if an emergency should arise.