ODA ANNUAL SESSION TO FEATURE SIX-HOUR COURSE REQUIRED FOR RENEWAL OF ANESTHESIA AND SEDATION PERMITS
The 2026 ODA Annual Session will feature a six-hour course that is required by the Ohio State Dental Board for renewal of anesthesia and sedation permits. ODA Annual Session is Sept. 17-19.
Ohio State Dental Board (OSDB) rules related to permits that dentists are required to possess in order to perform general anesthesia and deep sedation or moderate sedation in Ohio were updated in 2024.
Those rules require, among other things, that permit holders get a minimum of six hours of OSDB-approved continuing education devoted specifically to the management and/or prevention of emergencies, which may result from the use of deep sedation and general anesthesia or from the use of moderate sedation, in order to renew the relevant permit.
While this requirement was in place for the 2024-25 license/permit biennium, the OSDB temporarily suspended the requirement for the six-hour course because permit holders were having difficulty finding CE that would meet the OSDB’s standards. However, the OSDB is expecting any dentist with a deep sedation/general anesthesia permit or a moderate sedation permit to complete the required six hours of sedation-related medical emergency CE training for the 2026-27 biennium.
In order to ensure Ohio permit holders have the opportunity to secure this important required CE, the ODA Annual Session Committee has worked to make this training available during the ODA Annual Session on Sept. 19.
This six-hour course will focus on the management and prevention of emergencies that may result from the use of general anesthesia, deep sedation and/or moderate sedation. Topics covered will include the prediction and management of airway problems that can occur during sedation, the anatomic and pathophysiologic causes of airway problems and options for airway rescue. This course will also cover challenges related to specific types of patients, including children, patients with diabetes and patients with certain cardiac conditions.
The course will cover hypotensive, hypertensive, bradycardic and tachycardic emergencies and the recognition and management of loss of capnography tracing requiring appropriate management of the airway and of the underlying cause, e.g. anesthetic overdose, secretions, etc. due to hypoventilation that progresses to respiratory arrest, soft tissue or foreign body obstruction of the airway, laryngospasm and bronchospasm.
The course will also cover various scenarios involving an unexpected decline in level of consciousness, including consideration of multiple possible etiologies, e.g. over-sedation, stroke, seizure, street drug use, hypoxia, anaphylaxis, etc.
The course’s learning objectives include the following:
- Understanding the sedation continuum and recognizing the important differences among minimal, moderate and deep sedation in terms of clinical characteristics and influence on patient responsiveness, airway management, and respiratory and cardiovascular function.
- Learning essential features of preoperative assessment for patients undergoing dental treatment with sedation.
- Identifying principles of patient monitoring requirements for sedation.
- Understanding proper airway management during sedation.
- Learning the proper use of devices for oxygenation and ventilation.
The presenters for the course will be Dr. Jimmie Harper and Dr. James Pherro.
Harper received his dental degree from The Ohio State University College of Dentistry in 1979. Upon graduation, he served in the United States Air Force as a restorative dentist for three years at Kirtland AFB in Albuquerque, NM. He returned to The Ohio State University in 1982 to train in oral and maxillofacial surgery. He completed his training in 1986. While at Ohio State, Harper was involved in research and completed the requirements for his Master of Science degree. During his chief year of residency, Harper received USAF sponsorship and upon graduation, he returned to active duty, serving as base oral and maxillofacial surgeon at Carswell AFB in Ft. Worth, TX. Harper returned to Ohio in 1989 to join Cincinnati Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Inc.
Harper is active in local, state and national organizations. He has served as president of the Cincinnati Dental Society and the Ohio Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. He has served as a delegate to the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and the Ohio Dental Association. He is a diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, serving as a board examiner in the Section of Medicine/Anesthesia in 2002. He is a fellow of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.
Harper has been actively involved in teaching at the University of Cincinnati since 1990. He served as the director of residency education for the University of Cincinnati Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Residency Program from 1991 to 1998. He currently serves as a volunteer assistant professor in the Division of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery teaching academic courses in surgical anatomy and medicine/anesthesia topics for the OMS residents.
Phero earned his medical and dental degrees from the University of North Carolina where he also completed his postgraduate training in oral and maxillofacial surgery. He has been active in academic education, research and administrative activities since joining the University of Cincinnati Department of Surgery in 2019.
Phero’s clinical practice focuses on corrective jaw surgery, facial trauma and reconstruction, temporomandibular joint surgery and the management of benign head and neck pathology. In addition to his clinical practice, Phero has interest in emergency training. He is an American Heart Association (AHA) Instructor in BLS, ACLS and PALS. He is active at UC and nationally in teaching team simulation training for evaluation and management of medical emergencies.
Phero is the current president of the Ohio Dental Society of Anesthesiology and is on the board of directors for the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology.
Dr. Sharon Parsons, who is a general dentist from Bexley and the current chair of the ODA Annual Session Committee, noted that the committee is very pleased to offer this course for those in the dental community who possess general anesthesia-deep sedation permits and moderate sedation permits. “We know this continuing education has been difficult to secure so we wanted to provide a convenient way for Ohio permit-holders to secure this important training from two outstanding experts in the field.”
The ODA Annual Session is one of the largest dental conferences in the Midwest and includes dozens of CE courses designed for dentists and their team members, including dental hygienists, dental assistants and front desk staff, an expansive Exhibit Hall, and various social events for entertainment and fellowship. The Annual Session will be held at the Greater Columbus Convention Center in downtown Columbus on Sept. 17 – 19. Look for more information regarding the ODA’s Annual Session, including how to register, in next month’s “ODA Today” or by clicking here.
