Senate Bill 723 Summary

• Establishes comprehensive requirements for dental sedation procedures including facility equipment, staffing, emergency training, and patient monitoring standards for dentists administering general anesthesia or moderate conscious sedation.

• Requires licensed dentists to hold unexpired permits from the North Carolina Board of Dental Examiners and ensure facilities pass Board inspections before administering anesthesia or moderate sedation outside hospitals or credentialed surgery centers.

• Mandates preoperative patient evaluation, continuous vital sign monitoring with capnography, detailed anesthesia records maintained for 10 years, and specific recovery and discharge criteria for all sedation procedures.

• Requires dentists to submit adverse event reports to the Board within 72 hours for patient deaths or permanent brain dysfunction, and within 30 days for hospitalizations or other adverse events, with permit suspension pending Board review.

• Directs the North Carolina Policy Collaboratory to study whether a second qualified anesthesia provider is needed when using drugs that lead to deep sedation such as propofol, with report due April 1, 2024.