Can a Dentist Lose Their Skills Over Time?

An interesting article titled “Keeping skills current” appears in the May 2015 issue of JADA by Don J. Ilkka. The article discusses the ethics of what a pediatric dentist should do who used to perform sedation on his patients over 20 years ago, but now wants to do so again. For the around 20 year gap the pediatric dentist had an anesthesiologist in his office to monitor the sedation. The article discusses how there are many issues at work here. This includes if the dentist can legally perform the sedation and if he is qualified to do so or needs any additional training. Furthermore, there is a question about whether the staff of the dentist is qualified to support him. Working without an anesthesiologist may cause the dentist to perform less cases a day. The article states “As the dentist you describe … Read more