dentistry's role in sleep medicine

In the mid 1990’s, the medical and dental scientific literature documented the role of oral appliance therapy for Obstructive Sleep Apnea.  The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), in 1995, endorsed the use of oral appliances in dentistry as one of three modalities for the treatment of OSA (the others being CPAP and surgery). 

The latest revision of oral appliance protocol, written and accepted by the AASM and Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (ADSM), was published in 2006.  The basic premise is that CPAP therapy is the gold standard, however in mild to moderate sleep apnea, dental devices can be quite successful and should be an option presented to patients for treatment.  For patients who snore and do not have apnea, oral appliance therapy is the treatment of choice.

For those diagnosed with severe apnea who are unable to tolerate CPAP therapy, an oral appliance may be very helpful in lowering their occurrences of apnea and raising their level of oxygenation. Diagnosis must be made by a physician, usually after a polysomnogram.

The protocol also recommends a follow-up study by the referring physician to evaluate treatment success .