Obstructive Sleep Apnea: Looking Beyond the Teeth and Saving Lives!

Dentists are uniquely positioned among healthcare providers to easily evaluate for signs of obstructive sleep apnea. Oral appliance therapy performed by a qualified dentist can also be an effective treatment, literally saving lives. In this course, the speaker will review the basics of normal sleep, snoring and obstructive sleep apnea in adults and children. You will most likely be thinking that YOU and everyone you know must have sleep apnea before he is through! Don’t worry though, the speaker will also cover diagnosis and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea, including the dentist’s role and appliance selection.

This course includes the basics of normal sleep, snoring and sleep apnea in adults in children, and the dental professional's role in screening, referral and treatment of snoring and sleep apnea using oral appliances alone and in conjunction with CPAP as part of a multi-disciplinary team. The bruxism/sleep apnea connection will also be discussed, helping dentists see the relationship between so called "dental parafunction" and sleep apnea. The instructor will review many of the most popular oral appliances and discuss pros and cons of each.