IL May Require More Training for Dentists after Deaths

Proposed rules prompted by the deaths of two Illinois dental patients would increase the training that's required for dentists and their staffs.

The changes are meant to prevent tragedies like the death of a 5-year-old girl who slipped into a coma after being sedated during a routine procedure at a Chicago dentist's office.

That death in 2006 was followed the next year by the death of a 46-year-old Chicago school principal who suffered cardiac arrest while under sedation for a root canal.

The proposals are on the Web site of the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. The department is accepting public comments. The rules are subject to review by the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules.