Dr. Nicole Greenman of DSM Solutions defines sleep-related breathing disorders as a group of conditions that affect your breathing pattern while you sleep. It’s a wide spectrum of condition ranging from upper airway resistance syndrome to snoring to obstructive sleep apnea.
American Dental Association Policy on Treating Breathing-Related Sleep Disorders
The House of Delegates for the American Dental Association (ADA) formally acknowledged that dentists are the only qualified medical personnel to provide intervention therapies for sleep-related breathing conditions.
In the policy statement, the role of dentists was clearly outlined in relation to managing sleep-related breathing disorders. Key among the services expected of sleep apnea dentists were:
- Patient assessments for the risk of developing sleep-related breathing problems
- Providing referral linkages of the affected patient to specialists
- Monitoring and evaluating the suitability of intervention devices such as continuous positive airway pressure and oral appliance therapy as prescribed by a physician.
Health risk associated with Breathing-Related Sleep Disorders
By adopting the policy statement, the House of Delegates reaffirmed the central role of dentistry in treating these breathing disorders. Other than affecting patient’s quality of life, unattended to sleep-related breathing disorders can result in serious medical complications, including cardiovascular and neurobehavioral injuries. Growth and development in infants and children might be hindered by these breathing disorders as well. Because of these reasons, the DSM sleep apnea dentistry team offers training to help your practice address this problematic variety of conditions for your patients.