June JADA suggests sleep medicine should be part of dental school curriculum

Other articles discuss animal-assisted therapy, Medicare Advantage, periodontal disease

Education in sleep medicine should be included as part of dental school curriculum, according to a study published in the June issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association.

The cover story, “How Does Dental Sleep Medicine Fit into the Specialty of Orofacial Pain? A Narrative Review,” examined literature on orofacial pain and sleep disorders, reviewed the state of sleep medicine education, and outlined the role of orofacial pain specialists in screening for and managing sleep disorders associated with orofacial pain.

“Sleep disturbances can lead to an increase in pain and vice versa,” the authors said in the study. “Pain, including orofacial pain, can affect sleep quality, leading to poor health, and poor health can affect sleep quality.”

While postgraduate orofacial pain programs provide education in sleep medicine, predoctoral dental programs often do not, according to the article.

“Orofacial pain specialists play a crucial role in the screening and management of sleep disorders,” the authors said. “Education in sleep medicine should also be implemented in the predoctoral dental curriculum to train future oral health care providers in the recognition of the frequently undiagnosed and untreated sleep disorders that lead to deleterious health consequences.”

Other articles in the June issue of JADA discuss animal-assisted therapy for pediatric patients, oral health care use among Medicare Advantage beneficiaries and associations between periodontal disease and hospitalization.

Every month, JADA articles are published online at JADA.ADA.org. ADA members can access JADA content with their ADA username and password.