Inside Dentistry eBook

Improving Sleep Outcomes of Oral Appliance Therapy Through Technology

Thursday, September 13, 2018

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KEY TAKEAWAYS:

• Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is positively correlated with age and obesity.
• Medical, behavioral, and surgical options are available for the treatment of OSA.
• The current standard of care for patients with OSA is nasal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). 
• Various oral appliances have become alternatives to CPAP for OSA treatment.

OSA is a potentially serious sleep disorder that causes breathing to repeatedly stop and start during sleep. During routine dental examination, patients should be evaluated, and if diagnosed, treated for OSA.

This article explores sleep apnea demographics, symptoms, and solutions. The solutions section focuses on appliance therapies, methods, and materials.

Sleep medicine is a relatively new and highly multidisciplinary field. Treatment often requires the cooperation of professionals with different areas of expertise, such as dentists and physicians with various specialties; everyone involved in OSA therapy must understand it well.

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