What to Do When a Patient Tells You They Are Not Sleeping Well

Dr. John Viviano
General Practitioner from Mississauga

Sleep Apnea is a problem of epidemic proportions that affects close to a billion people worldwide, most of whom are walking around undiagnosed. Dr. John Viviano, General Practitioner from Mississauga and expert in sleep dentistry, believes that dentists can make a profound difference to that statistic simply by screening their patients.

In this latest in a series of presentations on sleep disorders, Dr. Viviano gives well-informed advice on what to do when a patient tells you they are not sleeping well.

Here are some of the key takeaways from the conversation…

• According to statistics Canada, 30% of adult patients in the dental office suffer from some level of sleep disorder breathing.
• 2017 American Dental Association guidance states that every dentist should be evaluating the airways of their patients and documenting it as part of routine appointments. It also includes guidance on minimum standards of education for dentists who participate in the treatment of sleep disorders using oral appliance therapy.
• Every dental office should be routinely screening patients for sleep disorders using a simple questionnaire such as the Sleepiness Scale or the Stop-Bang Questionnaire.
• For patients with a positive screening, the first step is to refer them to their family physician with a request for further investigation with a sleep specialist. Dentists who provide Oral Appliance Therapy may want to make the patient aware that they offer an alternative to CPAP.

We hope you find the conversation useful. We welcome your thoughts, questions and/or suggestions about this post and other topics. Leave a comment in the box below or send us your feedback by email.

Until next time!
CDA Oasis Team