Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a relatively common condition that predisposes the patient to physical harm, significant social discord and poor quality of life. OSAS represents a major public health burden and current available resources allow only a minority of affected patients to be assessed and treated.In view of the adverse outcomes associated with untreated OSAS, there is an urgent need to evaluate approaches to management that do not unduly rely on sleep laboratory-based PSG studies.It is clear that OSAHS is multidisciplinary in its etiology and treatment, so the diagnosis and treatment must be carried out in an interdisciplinary way.OSA has gone from being a largely unknown condition to being a condition that involves multiple medical and dental disciplines. Dental professionals must screen for OSA in both their pediatric and adult new patient examinations. When signs and symptoms of OSA are observed, the dental professional must implement appropriate referrals for definitive diagnosis. Early recognition of mouth breathing and airway obstruction by the pediatric dentist, prosthodontist , or orthodontist can facilitate early treatment and correction of OSA.