The purpose of WAC 246-817-701 through 246-817-790 is to govern the administration of sedation and general anesthesia by dentists licensed in the state of Washington in settings other than hospitals as defined in WAC 246-320-010 and ambulatory surgical facilities as defined in WAC 246-310-010, pursuant to the DQAC authority in RCW 18.32.640.

(1) The DQAC has determined that anesthesia permitting should be based on the "level" of anesthesia because anesthesia/sedation is a continuum, and the route of administration and drug combinations are both capable of producing a deeper level of sedation/anesthesia than is initially intended. Practitioners intending to produce a given level of sedation should be able to rescue patients who enter a state deeper than initially intended.

(2) All anesthesia providers must provide twenty-four hour, on-call availability following an anesthesia procedure, excluding those procedures using only local anesthetic.

(3) The dental assistant and expanded function dental auxiliary may not administer any general or local anesthetic, including intravenous sedation.