Dental Medicine & Dentistry

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a very serious sleep disorder that occurs when a person’s breathing is interrupted during sleep. As it disrupts normal sleep, those affected are often sleepy or tired during the day. Sleep apnea results in low blood oxygen levels. It can lead to negative long-term health consequences regardless of sex, race or age, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, depression, and Alzheimer’s disease. It is estimated that 22 million Americans suffer from

OSA. However, these numbers are likely underestimates due the large proportion of sleep apnea sufferers yet to be diagnosed. Indeed, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine has declared sleep apnea the “Hidden Health Crisis” in Aug 2016 as the underdiagnosis and undertreatment of the disease costs America billions of dollars each year. The latest research shows that OSA cost America $411 billion in 2016 from loss of productivity alone. While there are several options for treatment of OSA, the public remains largely uneducated regarding those options. The main treatment modality is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. While the acute effectiveness of CPAP therapy has been demonstrated, CPAP suffers a high rate of failure owing to poor patient compliance (noncompliance rates range from 46%-83%). Dental sleep medicine offers a simpler, noninvasive treatment option for sleep apnea. Mandibular Reposition Appliances (MRAs) or Mandibular Advancement Devices (MADs) move the mandible forward to improve upper airway patency. While MADs are also indicated as the first line of treatment for snorers, they are an effective, proven modality for the treatment of patients with mild-to-moderate OSA. MADs should also be considered for severe OSA patients who cannot tolerate CPAP therapy