January JADA outlines emerging dental therapies for obstructive sleep apnea
Other articles discuss pediatric oral health, digital dentures, periodontal disease burden
Dentists play an increasingly important role in the management of sleep health and disorders, according to the cover story of the January issue of The Journal of the American Dental Association.
“Emerging Dental Therapies for Sleep Disorders: Evidence Synthesis from the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine 2024 Consensus” synthesizes the academy’s consensus report on new and emerging dental therapies for obstructive sleep apnea and snoring. The authors’ intent was to provide a broader understanding of preventive, curative and management approaches for sleep health and disorders in dentistry, especially for dentists with less exposure to sleep medicine, according to the article.
The authors highlighted the report’s strengths and limitations and outlined priorities for future research. They found no emerging dental therapy met the criteria for a first-line monotherapy for obstructive sleep apnea or snoring to substitute for mandibular advancement devices. However, evidence suggests some therapies may serve adjunctive or individualized roles when established treatments are ineffective or declined.
Major limitations in the report included a lack of pediatric subgroup stratification; reliance on apnea-hypopnea index, oxygen desaturation and subjective snoring as primary outcomes of success; and variability found in study design and sample diversity.
“Dentists can contribute to multidisciplinary sleep care through established therapies, selective use of emerging interventions, and early recognition of airway growth issues,” the authors said in the article. “Adoption of new therapies should follow expert consensus and robust evidence until stronger data are available.”
Other articles in the January issue of JADA discuss pediatric oral health since the COVID-19 pandemic, patients’ satisfaction with digital complete dentures, and the global and regional burden of periodontal diseases.
Every month, JADA articles are published online at JADA.ADA.org. ADA members can access JADA content with their ADA username and password.
