Dental Anesthesia as a Profession

Abstract

  The article describes the suggested fields of study after a society member has become a Japanese Board of Dental Anesthesiologist (JBDA) member or a Board-Certified Dental Anesthesiology Specialist (BCDAS) member. Options include 1) becoming a university staff member, 2) practicing hospital dentistry, 3) acting as an open practitioner besides anesthetic specialities and 4) acting as a specialized dental anesthesiologist for dental implant surgery under intravenous sedation. However, future hurdles for dental anesthesia are expected to include 1) a decreasing number of active members, 2) fewer hospitals and poor recruitment, 3) fewer opportunities to utilize dental anesthesia as a specialty, and 4) reductions in the number of future cases. One possibility for the future engagement of dental anesthesiologists that would utilize their knowledge and dentistry techniques is the area of “Mobile dentistry.” Mobile dentistry is a new type of dental practice that has become more common in Japan over the past 10 years because of the increasing number of geriatric patients. Patients benefiting from mobile dentistry are mostly geriatric or medically compromised individuals, such as those with dementia or strokes arising from cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage and cardiovascular diseases (such as ischemic heart diseases) or arrhythmia (such as atrial fibrillation). Dental anesthesiologists have the knowledge to cope with such serious symptoms safely. Using safe management derived from anesthetic knowledge and techniques in turn allows the patients to feel comfortable and safe. De novo monitoring devices, which are small and compact and can be used outside of dental offices, are also indicated for mobile dentistry. The health insurance system in Japan can adequately cover expenses related to dental treatments, suggesting that dental practitioners can expect better incomes. Since mobile dentistry is limited because of human and material resources, it requires anesthesiologists that are competent in both dental treatment and anesthetic tactics.