Advanced Education for Excellence in Dental Sleep Medicine (Session 2 of 3)

3 Session Course       

April 20-21, 2024  (in person @ UCLA)   Saturday 8:00am-5:00pm and Sunday 8:30am-1:00pm
May 10-11  (online via Zoom)  Friday 8:00am-4:00pm and Saturday 8:00am-12:00pm 
June 8-9 (in person @ UCLA)  Saturday 8:30am-5:00pm and Sunday 8:30am-1:00pm

The interest in Dental Sleep Medicine (DSM) has grown and involves not only oral appliances for Sleep Related Breathing Disorders (SRBD), such as sleep apnea and snoring, but also involves sleep bruxism, orofacial pain including TMD and related medical conditions. The dentist has a major role in the recognition and management of patients with these conditions. In addition, the guidelines from the American Dental Association (ADA) indicate that the dentist should be trained to recognize, facilitate the diagnosis of sleep apnea, and be well versed in oral appliance therapy.

Course lectures are designed to review the aspects of sleep that are relevant to the practicing dentist and are reinforced with demonstration as well as hands-on experience in the clinic. This involves the examination process, the process of obtaining a bite registration for fabrication of an oral appliance and the delivery of the oral appliance. This course includes the opportunity to fabricate and deliver an oral appliance for the participant. This is not required to take part in the course, but highly recommended *.

This course provides the didactic and clinical knowledge for the dentist to become a productive and successful participant in the management of SRBD, with the focus primarily on patients within their existing practice.

The course is designed to cover all aspects of sleep medicine and sleep disorders through lectures from various specialists. The lectures are designed to review all aspects of sleep that are relative to the practicing dentist and are reinforced with demonstration as well as hands-on experience in the clinic. This involves the examination process, the process of obtaining a bite registration for fabrication of an oral appliance and the delivery of the oral appliance. The lectures and discussion will involve how the dentist can be a productive and successful participant in the management of sleep disorders, and specifically SRBD. The expanding definition of DSM will be explored, as this involves sleep bruxism and all aspects of orofacial pain.

This course is designed such that the participant will be optimally competent and be considered qualified in the use of oral appliance therapy for sleep apnea and snoring. This is of particular importance given that Orofacial Pain is now a dental specialty that also involves sleep. Anyone practicing DSM needs to be able to also practice at the same standard of care equivalent to a specialist, and this course is intended to accomplish this.