---
title: HB 1278. Professions and businesses; improve efficiencies in issuance of permits for dentists to administer conscious sedation and general anesthesia
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/hb1278
cite_as: HB 1278, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1278
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1278.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1278/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73120
date: 2026-05-05
status: passed
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 1223
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1278.md?full=1
bill_number: HB 1278
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: House
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2026-05-05
last_action: Effective Date 2026-07-01
sponsors:
- Lee Hawkins
- Ron Stephens
- Gerald Greene
- Mark Newton
- Kim Schofield
- Viola Davis
- Chuck Hufstetler
text_version: Enrolled
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/HB1278/2025
upstream_id: 2114683
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- dental licensing
- conscious sedation permits
- general anesthesia permits
- professional regulation
- Georgia Board of Dentistry
---
# HB 1278. Professions and businesses; improve efficiencies in issuance of permits for dentists to administer conscious sedation and general anesthesia
## Text
House Bill 1278 (AS PASSED HOUSE AND SENATE)
By: Representatives Hawkins of the 27th, Stephens of the 164th, Greene of the 154th, Newton
of the 127th, Schofield of the 63rd, and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Article 1 of Chapter 11 of Title 43 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to general provisions relative to dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants, so
as to improve efficiencies in the issuance of permits for dentists to administer conscious
sedation and general anesthesia; to provide for the evaluation and certification of a properly
equipped facility; to provide for demonstration of proficiency in administering sedative
techniques; to authorize the board to designate qualified personnel to perform certain
evaluations, certifications, and examinations; to provide for related matters; to repeal
conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Article 1 of Chapter 11 of Title 43 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
general provisions relative to dentists, dental hygienists, and dental assistants, is amended
in Code Section 43-11-21, relating to conscious sedation, by revising subsections (b) and (c)
as follows:
"(b) No dentist shall be issued a permit under this Code section unless the board has
received satisfactory evidence that such dentist:
(1) Has received formal training in the use of conscious sedation at an institution
accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the American Dental
Association (ADA), its successor agency, or other board approved organization and is
certified by such organization as competent in the administration of pharmacologic agents
for conscious sedation and the handling of emergencies relating to conscious sedation.
Such certification shall specify the type, number of hours, and length of training. The
minimum didactic hours, patient contact hours, and number of patients sedated under
supervision shall be established by rule or regulation of the board;
(2) Utilizes a properly equipped facility for the administration of conscious sedation,
including physical plant and equipment, which has been evaluated and certified by an
on-site examination the board or any designee thereof; and
(3) Has demonstrated to the satisfaction of the board or any designee thereof proficiency
in administering sedative techniques in the dentist's office on a patient or patients in a
safe and effective manner.
(c) In enforcing the provisions of this Code section, the board is authorized to designate
qualified persons to perform the on-site any evaluations, certifications, and examinations
required or authorized by this Code section and is further authorized to provide by rule or
regulation for standards for physical plant, equipment, and personnel to be utilized in the
induction of conscious sedation."
SECTION 2.
Said article is further amended in Code Section 43-11-21.1, relating to general anesthesia,
by revising subsections (b) and (c) as follows:
"(b) No dentist shall be issued a permit under this Code section nor have such permit
renewed unless the board has received satisfactory evidence that such dentist:
(1)(A) Has successfully completed a minimum of one year of advanced training in
anesthesiology and related academic subjects beyond the undergraduate dental school
level at an institution accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of the
American Dental Association or its successor agency or by a nationally recognized
health care accreditation body for hospitals; or
(B) Is a diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, is a
member of the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons, or is a fellow
of the American Dental Society of Anesthesiology;
(2) Utilizes a properly equipped facility for the administration of general anesthesia,
including physical plant and equipment which has been evaluated and certified by an
on-site examination the board or any designee thereof; and
(3) Has demonstrated to the satisfaction of the board or any designee thereof proficiency
in administering general anesthesia on a patient or patients in the dentist's office in a safe
and effective manner.
(c) In enforcing the provisions of this Code section, the board is authorized to designate
qualified persons to perform the on-site any evaluations, certifications, and examinations
required or authorized by this Code section and is further authorized to provide by rule or
regulation for standards for physical plant, equipment, and personnel to be utilized in the
administration of general anesthesia."
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
House Bill 1278 changes how Georgia dentists get permits to administer conscious sedation and general anesthesia, letting the state dental board or its designees certify sedation facilities without requiring an in-person, on-site exam.
### Plain-language summary
Under current Georgia law, dentists who want to administer conscious sedation or general anesthesia must have their office facilities evaluated and certified through an on-site examination before the state dental board issues a permit. House Bill 1278 changes the process by removing the specific requirement of an on-site examination and instead allowing the Georgia Board of Dentistry, or any designee it names, to evaluate and certify a dentist's facility and equipment.
The bill also broadens the board's authority to designate qualified people to perform any evaluations, certifications, and examinations required for these permits, not just on-site exams. It removes language requiring proficiency demonstrations to occur specifically 'in the dentist's office,' allowing that testing to happen elsewhere. These changes apply to both the conscious sedation permit law (O.C.G.A. § 43-11-21) and the general anesthesia permit law (O.C.G.A. § 43-11-21.1). The bill repeals conflicting laws and does not state a delayed effective date beyond the standard process.
### What it does
- Removes the requirement that facility evaluation and certification happen through an 'on-site examination,' letting the board or its designee certify facilities another way.
- Expands the board's authority to designate qualified people to perform any evaluations, certifications, and examinations tied to sedation and anesthesia permits, not just on-site checks.
- Removes the requirement that dentists demonstrate proficiency in sedation or anesthesia techniques specifically 'in the dentist's office,' allowing testing elsewhere.
- Applies the same procedural changes in parallel to both the conscious sedation permit law and the general anesthesia permit law.
- Repeals any existing state laws that conflict with these changes.
### Who it affects
Dentists in Georgia who seek or renew permits to administer conscious sedation or general anesthesia, the Georgia Board of Dentistry and any personnel it designates to conduct evaluations, and dental patients who receive sedation or anesthesia in dental offices.
### Why it matters
By dropping the strict on-site examination requirement and letting the board designate other qualified evaluators, the permitting process for sedation and anesthesia certification could become more flexible and potentially faster for dentists, while the board retains authority to set physical plant, equipment, and personnel standards.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 43-11-21(b) so facility evaluation and certification can be done by 'the board or any designee thereof' instead of requiring 'an on-site examination.'
- Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 43-11-21(c) to let the board designate people to perform 'any evaluations, certifications, and examinations required or authorized' by the section, replacing the narrower 'on-site' examination language.
- Section 1 removes the requirement that proficiency in sedative techniques be demonstrated 'in the dentist's office.'
- Section 2 makes the same changes to O.C.G.A. § 43-11-21.1, the general anesthesia permit law, including removing the 'on-site examination' and 'in the dentist's office' requirements.
- Section 3 repeals all laws and parts of laws that conflict with the Act.
## Status
- Status: Passed (2026-05-05)
- Last action: Effective Date 2026-07-01 (2026-05-05)
- Sponsors: Lee Hawkins, Ron Stephens, Gerald Greene, Mark Newton, Kim Schofield, Viola Davis, Chuck Hufstetler
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/73120
> The history, votes, and amendments (1,223 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/hb1278.md?full=1