Changes to dental sedation approved

Lawmakers gave final approval May 7 to a bill that changes the permitting process for dentists to administer sedation.

LB80, introduced by Grand Island Sen. Mike Gloor, replaces the current permitting process for general anesthesia with separate permits for minimal, moderate and deep sedation. The bill also updates education and training requirements for dentists and correlates incident reporting with the new definitions.

Under the bill, a dentist licensed in Nebraska is allowed to administer inhalation analgesia in the practice of dentistry without a permit.

The bill passed 47-0 and takes effect July 1, 2016.