Dentists Throughout Wisconsin Are Petitioning State Examiners to Protect Citizens' Access to Affordable Care

MADISON, Wis., Oct. 29, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Dentists throughout Wisconsin — from large cities such as Milwaukee, Madison, and Green Bay, to smaller towns, including Delafield, Fort Atkinson, and Burlington — are calling on the Wisconsin Dentistry Examining Board to protect Badger State citizens and their access to affordable care.

An online petition, posted by Concerned Dentists of Wisconsin (CDW), requests the Examining Board to reject a proposal that is scheduled to come before it at its November 6th meeting.

CDW believes the proposed rules change, if approved, would raise the cost of dental treatments using oral sedation without providing patients any additional safety or service.

CDW is an informal, volunteer group of dentists, which includes members who would not be directly affected should the proposal pending before the Board be approved. They are objecting on behalf of the state's fearful and anxious patients, as well as other dentists who, in the future, would be governed by the new regulations.

Under the terms of the proposal pending before the Board, to obtain a permit to provide so-called 'moderate oral sedation,' most Wisconsin dentists would have to undergo the same rigorous sedation training as IV Sedation-permitted dentists.

CDW says the adoption of such a proposal will force many patients who need sedation dentistry to see high-priced specialists or skip their dental care altogether.

"We, the undersigned Wisconsin dentists, on behalf of more than 400 Badger State dentists who have current sedation permits – and the 60,000 or more Wisconsinites who have been safely and effectively treated under the existing permit requirements – respectfully encourage the Wisconsin Dentistry Examining Board to leave in place the current regulations, which pose no harm to our patients and help constrain the cost of dental treatments," the online petition reads.

"The safety and comfort of Wisconsin's dental patients are of paramount concern," CDW's petition states. "Rising dental fees will only drive patients away from seeing a dentist, especially lower-income patients who often are most in need of sedation dental care."

Dentists in the state who wish to protect oral sedation patients and their right to be safely, effectively, and affordably treated, are encouraged to attend the Examining Board's meeting in Madison on November 6th and sign the online petition, available at: https://tinyurl.com/CDWisc-Petition.

CDW notes that even Wisconsin dentists who do not offer oral sedation to their patients should sign the group's petition as a matter of principle. The proposed changes — being pushed by a small but influential group of dental specialists — serve only their economic self-interest, not the well-being of Wisconsin patients.

"Opposing the changes is a matter of principle for every dentist who seeks to put patients before profits," CDW says.

Media Contact:
Dr. David Ducommun
608-338-0629
[email protected] 

SOURCE Concerned Dentists of Wisconsin