(1) With respect to deep sedation/general anesthesia, no dentist shall be permitted to administer deep sedation/general anesthesia during a dental procedure or dental-surgical procedure, unless and until he or she satisfies the qualifications set forth in 37-4-511, MCA.

(a) No dentist shall be permitted to administer deep sedation/general anesthesia until he or she has satisfactorily completed residencies accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation in the following areas:

(i) a minimum of four years in an oral and maxillofacial surgery residency; or

(ii) a minimum of two years in an advanced general dentistry education program in dental anesthesiology.

(2) Dentists providing moderate sedation or deep sedation/general anesthesia must present evidence of successful completion of an advanced course in cardiac life support within the three most recent years. Web-based courses must include a hands-on lab or megacode portion of training.

(3) With respect to moderate sedation, no dentist shall administer drugs to achieve the state known as moderate sedation during a dental procedure or a dental-surgical procedure, unless he or she has received formal training in moderate sedation techniques from an institution, organization, or training course approved by the board. If training for moderate sedation is through continuing education, proof of course content must accompany the initial application in the form of a course outline or syllabus. A minimum of 60 hours of instruction plus management of at least 20 dental patients, by the intravenous route, per participant, are required to achieve competency in moderate sedation techniques. The dentist must furnish evidence of having completed this training.

(a) All requirements for the use of moderate sedation or deep sedation/general anesthesia will apply as indicated, regardless of the agent used or the route of administration, when the intended or probable effect is a level of depression greater than minimal sedation.

(4) With respect to inhalation sedation, no dentist shall use nitrous oxide/oxygen on a patient before completing a course of instruction of a minimum of 14 hours, including a clinical component. This course of instruction may be completed as part of the predoctoral dental education program or in a postdoctoral continuing education competency course.

(a) A dentist who practices dentistry in Montana who can provide satisfactory evidence of competence and skill in administering nitrous oxide/oxygen sedation by virtue of experience and/or comparable alternative training shall be presumed by the Montana Board of Dentistry to have appropriate credentials for the use of nitrous oxide/oxygen sedation.

(5) In order to administer enteral minimal and/or combination inhalation sedation, the dentist must complete a minimum of 16 hours of training, including a clinical component. Training must include the treatment of a compromised airway and other life-threatening emergencies. The course may be completed in a predoctoral dental education curriculum or in a postdoctoral continuing education competency course.

(a) Supplemental dosing can be used for enteral minimal sedation or enteral minimal sedation and/or combination inhalation sedation.

(b) Nitrous oxide/oxygen may only be used with a single drug for minimal sedation.

(6) No dentist shall administer or employ any agent(s) which has a narrow margin for maintaining consciousness, including, but not limited to, ultrashort-acting barbiturates, including, but not limited to, sodium methohexital, thiopental, propofol, ketamine, etomidate, and similarly acting drugs, or quantity of agent(s), or technique(s), or any combination, thereof, that would possibly render a patient deeply sedated or generally anesthetized, unless he or she holds a valid deep sedation/general anesthesia permit issued by the board.