Dental Anaesthesia - Program History - Faculty of Dentistry, University of Toronto

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Introduction and Program History

M.Sc./Dental Specialty Program - Dental Anaesthesia

INTRODUCTION

Advanced training is provided in the discipline of Dental Anaesthesia by the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Toronto. The program consists of a three-year Master of Science (MSc) offered through the Faculty in collaboration with the School of Graduate Studies. A program of study leading to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) is also available. The program accepts one or two candidates per year.

It should be noted that the University of Toronto degree does not in itself confer the right of certification as a specialist. In Ontario this is the prerogative of the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario, to which all questions regarding certification should be addressed.

PROGRAM HISTORY

The postgraduate training program in Anaesthesia was founded by Dr. Robert Locke in 1960. Since that time it has evolved into the current three-year MSc format. It is the only program of its kind in Canada, and allows graduates to provide deep sedation and general anaesthesia for adult and paediatric dental procedures in accordance with the guidelines established by the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario.

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the University of Toronto graduate program in Dental Anaesthesia is twofold: (1) to prepare dentists to provide the full range of sedation and anaesthesia services for dental patients, with the focus on deep sedation and general anaesthesia and (2) to prepare dentists for teaching and research in anaesthesia in dentistry. Consistent with the mission of the Faculty of Dentistry, the educational and scholarly activities of the graduate program in Dental Anaesthesia are to be carried out in accordance with the guiding principles of the University of Toronto and its stated commitments to teaching, learning, research, and service to the community.

GOALS

The goals of the dental anaesthesia program are to prepare its graduates to:

1. Assess and manage patients who require sedation or anaesthesia for dentistry with a level of competence and training meeting or exceeding the accepted standards of dental specialty practice.

2. Have the skills for life-long learning, for critical evaluation of the literature, and for the evidence-based practice of anaesthesia.

3. Become educators and researchers in the field of anaesthesia for dentistry.

OBJECTIVES

The graduates of the dental anaesthesia program will be able to:

1. Apply the requisite knowledge of the sciences relevant to anaesthesia in preparing and implementing an anaesthetic plan.

2. Perform pre-operative risk assessment to identify medical conditions or practice limitations requiring consultation and/or referral of the patient.

3. Perform all sedation and general anaesthetic techniques for both adult and paediatric dental patients; this includes oral and nasal endotracheal intubation, as indicated, as well as use of all appropriate monitoring techniques and equipment.

4. Provide anaesthetic management for the special-needs dental patient.

5. Manage anaesthetic emergencies at a skill level at or above that of Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) and Paediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS).

6. Manage anaesthesia-related problems in post-anaesthetic recovery.

7. Perform and teach the full spectrum of local anaesthetic techniques required for dentistry.

8. Critically evaluate the research literature pertaining to anaesthesia in dentistry.

9. Plan and carry out research relevant to anaesthesia.

Last updated: July 17, 2008

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