SLEEP APNEA---IS IT ON YOUR MENU OF TREATMENT MODALITIES?

OSA (obstructive sleep apnea), called a “ubiquitous and insidious malady” by experts in the field, is increasingly the bailiwick of dentists.  Oral appliances have proven to be effective OSA therapy, and most patients prefer oral therapy to the longer, more complicated, and uncomfortable treatment their physician can provide.

Briefly, OSA can be described as the tongue rolling dorsally, blocking the patient’s airway as he or she sleeps.  The blockage may affect OSA sufferers between 10 and 100 times per hour, varying each time in length between 10 and 90 seconds.  The deprivation of oxygen results in mild, moderate, or severe hypoxia, the condition of reduced levels of oxygen reaching cells that should be regenerating during sleep if sufficient oxygen is present.

Studies by the National Sleep Foundation show that approximately 50% of American adults suffer from some type of OSa.  Additionally, juvenile obstructive sleep apnea (JOSA) is on the increase.

OSA often manifests itself as snoring, an annoyance to anyone within earshot of the sleeper.  However, OSA is well beyond an annoyance; it is, in fact, dangerous to the sufferer’s health.  Research dating to the 1930s, work of a Nobel prize winner, Otto Warburg, MD, substantiates the claim that many diseases are negatively affected by insufficient levels of oxygen in the body.  Cancer cells, harmful bacteria, and viruses cannot survive in a high-oxygen atmosphere; hence, the vital importance of successfully treating OSA to assure sufficient disease-fighting levels of oxygen in the body.

If you have not yet added this treatment modality to your scope of services, consider its feasibility.  Research the variety of oral appliances meant to treat OSA; understand the positives and negatives of the various types; and attend credible CE courses on the subject.  Experts predict that within the near future, patients will expect their dentist to be able to provide OSA therapy.  Since most insurance companies and Medicare administrators are now allowing reimbursement for oral appliance OSA treatment, demand for therapy will increase.  Be prepared to meet your patients’ requests.