ProSomnus Sleep Technologies announced the launch of the ACG Airway Centric Dental Splint System. The ACG System is a day and night time solution for managing sleep-disordered breathing patients who have temporomandibular joint disorders (TMD), bruxism, or other dental conditions typically treated with splints. (Pictured is the ACG Night with Punch Out; other options include the ACG Day, ACG Day Full, ACG Functional, ACG Night, and ACG Bruxpad.)

An American College of Prosthodontics (ACP) position paper and resolution before the house of delegates at the ADA meeting in October place greater emphasis on screening and using an airway centric approach for TMD or bruxism.

Previously, according to ProSomnus, a TMD or bruxism patient, with or without airway issues, was treated with a bite splint or nightguard made in their maximal intercuspal position (MIP), centric relation (CR), or centric bite positions. But now the ACP paper suggests, and the ADA resolution directs, dentists to consider evaluating the airway first. If airway is involved (up to 25% of the time in this group), an airway centric bite position should be used.

The ProSomnus ACG System provides day time and night time solutions for TMD and bruxism in an airway centric position. Precision manufactured using patented technology from a control-cured polymethyl methacrylate material, the ACG System appliances share the same precision medical device characteristics of the ProSomnus [IA] and MicrO2 platforms.

“ACG is the first precision splint system specifically designed for TMJ and bruxism patients who have sleep-disordered breathing,” says Len Liptak, CEO of ProSomnus Sleep Technologies, in a release. “On average, 1 in 4 adult dental patients is at risk of, or has, sleep-disordered breathing. The ACG System offers dentists a new set of tools for treating their at-risk patients.”

Michael Gelb, DDS, MS, worked with ProSomnus to develop the ACG System. “My patients were encountering airway problems every day in my practice and traditional dentistry did not have an effective response. I developed this airway centric approach with the help of ProSomnus to answer the need. Dentists needed a new airway centric concept in the ‘nightguard’ category as well as a way of addressing their patient’s daytime complaints, especially in light of the ACP paper,” Gelb says.