Following three public stakeholder meetings, the Colorado Dental Board met on May 4 to discuss a draft set of rules addressing the dentist’s role in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The draft rules and all submitted comments have been passed along to the Colorado Medical Board for discussion at its May 18 meeting.
The Dental Board has recommended to the Medical Board that the two boards develop a joint policy to help educate licensees and consumers before considering rules for enforcement purposes. Therefore, the Dental Board has tabled any final action until it receives feedback from the Medical Board. The next scheduled meeting of the Dental Board is at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, July 12.
A template letter provided by the AASM to members in Colorado expresses opposition to the draft rule, which would allow dentists to dispense home sleep apnea testing (HSAT) devices to patients and use them routinely in clinical practice. The AASM asserts that the use of an HSAT device, like any other medical device, is outside the scope of practice of dentistry.
The AASM will continue to keep members updated with any new developments.
Updated May 12, 2017
