The under - diagnosis of sleep - disordered breathing is severe. The ADA calls on dentists to collab

*Image source: ADA official website

Good Teeth News |The American Dental Association (ADA) recently held the "Sleep and Airway-Focused Dentistry Summit" in Chicago. More than 40 dental and medical professionals, researchers, and industry representatives from across the United States attended the meeting. The purpose of the meeting was to explore how to strengthen the role of the dental profession in sleep and airway health to optimize the care of patients with diseases such as sleep apnea.

The discussion at the summit pointed out that, according to statistics from the American Medical Association, breathing interruptions during sleep affect about 30 million American residents, but only about 6 million people have been diagnosed with sleep apnea. There are a large number of people who have not been identified and properly managed. The participants believed that the public's lack of awareness of sleep disorders themselves and the role that the dental profession can play in them is one of the important reasons for the low diagnosis and treatment rates.

In terms of treatment pathways, the discussion pointed out that many patients only know about continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment or surgical options, and have insufficient awareness of oral appliance therapy as a viable option. The participating dentist representatives emphasized the need to improve doctors' and patients' awareness of the applicable population and usage scenarios of oral appliance therapy, and to more systematically incorporate the dental medical system into the management of sleep-disordered breathing.

Collaboration between medicine and dentistry is regarded as a key weak link in the current system. The participants described that currently, in many areas, dentistry and sleep medicine operate in parallel, resulting in complex referrals and difficult treatment coordination. Patients have to shuttle between two independent medical systems with difficulty.

In the payment and insurance环节, the representatives of the payers at the meeting pointed out that problems such as inconsistent insurance qualification certification, coverage, and insufficient economic incentives limit the application of combination therapies. These obstacles have a more serious impact on low-income groups, women, and multicultural groups.

In the group discussion at the end of the meeting, the participants put forward suggestions regarding future action paths, including: further clarifying the boundaries of dentists' responsibilities in airway health, enhancing the public's awareness of the role of dentistry in sleep disorder management, strengthening communication between doctors and dentists and the interconnection of information systems, and promoting the improvement of relevant policies and payment rules through industry advocacy.

The ADA said that it will continue to promote training, interdisciplinary collaboration, and advocacy work in its subsequent work to enable sleep and airway-focused dentistry to play a more stable role in overall patient care.

According to Good Teeth's previous report on the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM)'s update of the clinical practice standards for oral appliances, the standards have clearly stated that comprehensive dental sleep medicine examinations, oral impression collections, and occlusal records must be completed offline. At the same time, oral telemedicine tools are introduced in screening and some follow - ups, providing operational - level guidelines for the specific implementation of oral appliance therapy in the clinical pathway. The concentrated discussion on medical - dental collaboration, patient education, and payment mechanisms at the ADA summit complements the aforementioned practice standards, providing a reference for observing the future trends of sleep dentistry - related norms and clinical practices.