Dental Products Report: Dental sleep medicine is a field many practices are taking on for its patient care and practice-building opportunities.

Dentists should consider adding dental sleep medicine to their practices because of a shortage of health care providers throughout the country, especially physicians outside large metropolitan cities, according to David Schwartz, DDS, president of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM) and a diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine (ABDSM)

Dentists have become more integral in patients’ overall health in recent years to compensate for this shortage. What dentists see and do in the operatory has a direct impact on the overall health of patients. Dr Schwartz says OSA is a prime example.

“We have a straight view of the airway with every patient we treat. It stands to reason that if we suspect OSA, we can quickly act to formally screen the patient, order a home sleep apnea test for appropriate candidates and then work with the patient’s medical provider to treat the disorder,” Dr Schwartz says.

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