Dental Sleep

ASK PATIENTS ABOUT THEIR SLEEP, NOT JUST THEIR TEETH.

 

DROWZLE® for Dental Sleep Medicine: Detect and Monitor OSA

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As a dental-professional, you monitor and protect your patients’ health-not just their teeth. You may also be the health care provider your patients see most often. That’s why it’s important to screen all of your patients for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

OSA is a life-threatening disorder that affects nearly 30 million American adults. Over the past two decades the estimated prevalence of OSA has increased by 14% to 55%, and most individuals who have OSA are undiagnosed or untreated. By providing a simple screening as recommended by the American Dental Association, you may be the first health care professional to detect obstructive sleep apnea in a patient. For patients that do have OSA, many may be unaware of oral appliance therapy (OAT) as a successful alternative to CPAP.

Sources: The American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine; Journal of Dental Sleep Medicine

DROWZLE Helps Grow Your Dental Sleep Practice In
4 Easy Steps

Screen Efficiently and Monitor Obstructive Sleep Apnea Accurately

When a patient complains about feeling tired all the time, investigate and detect with DROWZLE.

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LOCATE

DROWZLE provides an efficient and consistent method for identifying patients who have a high probability of OSA. Used with an iPhone or Android phone, it captures symptom data as well as sleep breathing sounds and patterns, to accurately detect patients in your practice who may be at risk for OSA. DROWZLE can help motivate your patients to seek diagnosis and treatment with oral appliance therapy, if appropriate.
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MOTIVATE

After testing with DROWZLE, your patients will receive a graphic report that shows their risk level for OSA. The measurements in the report have been shown in pilot studies to educate and motivate patients to seek provider care and treatment when appropriate.
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EVALUATE

Your patients can re-test overnight with DROWZLE weekly during the titration phase to provide objective information about how well the appliance adjustments are working and when optimal effects are achieved.
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DEMONSTRATE

Patient ability to re-take the DROWZLE surveys monthly, during the first 3 to 6 months of treatment, provides objective measurement of therapy effectiveness, which your practice can use to demonstrate success and attract new dental sleep patients.

What the American Dental Association Recommends

While a diagnosis of OSA is usually made by a physician, the American Dental Association (ADA) recommends that dentists should screen for OSA and other sleep-related disorders that can shorten their patients’ lives. As described by the ADA, the policy offers guidance for dentists on:

Assessing the risk of children and adults for sleep-related breathing disorders as part of a comprehensive medical history,

Staying up-to-date on dental sleep medicine research and training, and

Communicating with other health care providers on the patient’s treatment after referral for a sleep-related breathing disorder.

The ADA policy also stated that dentists are "the only health care provider with the knowledge and expertise to provide oral appliance therapy," a common and effective treatment for OSA.

Source: ADA News, Sleep-related breathing disorder treatment outlined in new policy, October 31, 2017

Sleep Apnea Awareness is Key

OSA awareness among dental professionals is important for these reasons:

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Less than 50% of dentists are able to identify the signs and symptoms of OSA.
Source: Journal of Dental Hygiene, Obstructive Sleep Apnea and the Role of Dental Hygienists

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    Patients are almost 25% more likely to visit a dentist than go to their doctor for an annual exam.
    Source: Journal of Dental Hygiene, Obstructive Sleep Apnea and the Role of Dental Hygienists

    The ADA recommends that dentists assess patients for OSA when taking their medical and dental histories.
    Source: ADA News, Sleep-related breathing disorder treatment outlined in new policy, October 31, 2017

    OSA Symptoms & Statistics
    Common symptoms of OSA include
    • Loud, frequent snoring
    • Observed to stop breathing for prolonged periods during sleep
    • Choking or gasping while sleeping
    • Morning headaches and nausea
      • Excessive daytime sleepiness
      • Irritability or feelings of depression
      • Disturbed sleep
      • Concentration and memory problems
      • Waking up frequently to urinate
      • Loss of sex drive, impotence or both
      In addition, a large tongue or large soft palate are common in people who have OSA.
      The Health Consequences of OSA
      People who have untreated OSA are:
      • Four times more likely to have a stroke than someone without OSA.
      • Three times more likely to have heart disease.
      • Up to seven times more likely to have a serious or fatal car crash.
      • More likely to have a high body mass index by their late 20s.
      • More likely to suffer from mood and behavior problems, headaches, difficulty concentrating and memory issues.
       

      Benefits of overcoming OSA

      Proper diagnosis and effective treatment of OSA can greatly improve quality of life for both children and adults. Successful treatment of OSA can reduce or eliminate daytime sleepiness, reduce cardiovascular risk, and improve overall physical and mental health.

      Treatment options for OSA have greatly improved in recent years, and advances in technology have resulted in much better comfort and ease-of-use. Most patients are unaware of oral appliance therapy (OAT) as a successful alternative to CPAP.

       

      Better Overall Health and Quality of Life

      With effective treatment of OSA, your patients can reduce their risk of hypertension, heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and serious vehicular accidents. Untreated OSA can worsen conditions like erectile dysfunction, depression, and dementia or Alzheimer’s disease. Treatment can improve focus, memory and concentration, as well as improving relationships, ability to participate in activities, and productivity at work.

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      Better Dental Health

      Periodontitis, which is tooth damage caused by grinding, and inflamed and receding gums, is associated with several cardio–metabolic disorders that are co–morbid with sleep–disordered breathing. A significant association was observed between persons with moderate or severe periodontitis and their risk for OSA.

      Source: Journal of Dental Hygiene, Obstructive sleep apnea in association with periodontitis: a case-control study.

      Lower Health Care Costs

      Effective management of OSA produces significant cost savings for employers, employees and their insurers.

      The total health care cost of people in the U.S. who have undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea is estimated at $30 billion, compared to $12.4 billion for people whose sleep apnea is diagnosed and treated.

      Source: American Academy of Sleep Medicine

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      Ready to help screen your patients for OSA?

      email us at info@drowzle.com to have a sleep agent contact you.