Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder affecting over 50,000 Bahamians.
OSA is a dangerous condition that is often undiagnosed. If you wake up tired, sweaty, or with headaches, or find yourself snoring or choking in your sleep, you may be suffering from OSA.
This serious sleep disorder causes your breathing to stop and start while you sleep. Your throat closes in on itself, obstructing regular breathing, forcing your body to subconsciously wake itself to open your airways again. In many patients, this happens hundreds of times per night, which can disturb the quality of their sleep.
If left untreated, OSA can lead to other serious health disorders that can harm a person's quality of life, like early onset dementia and even sudden death.
Symptoms of sleep apnea
• Loud or frequent snoring
• Pauses in breathing
• Choking or gasping sounds
• Daytime sleepiness or fatigue
• Insomnia (difficulty falling asleep)
• Morning headaches
• Difficulty concentrating
• Memory loss
• Irritability
If sleep apnea is untreated it can lead to:
• High blood pressure
• Heart disease
• Heart rhythm abnormalities
• Stroke
• Early onset dementia
• Pre-diabetes and diabetes
• Depression
• Sudden death
Many risk factors can be identified in the dental practice.
When taking patient medical histories and conducting oral clinical examinations, dentists can screen patients for common risk factors such as a large tongue or tonsils; mandibular retrognathia (when the lower jaw is behind where it should be) or micrognathia (when the lower jaw is smaller than it should be). Other risk factors include a large neck, choking or gasping during sleep, obesity, loud or irregular snoring, or breathing pauses during sleep (if reported by bed partner). Persons presenting with these features may be referred to a primary care physician or sleep medicine specialist for further evaluation.
Diagnosis of OSA includes a conventional overnight sleep test with a special recording device. This is the gold standard for comprehensive sleep evaluation and sleep apnea diagnosis. Also, video recording is included during the overnight sleep study, plus sound recording to assess breathing and snoring levels. Home sleep apnea tests are also available.
Various treatment options are available for patients to consider. The most common choices include the use of positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy and oral appliance therapy. The oral appliance is a commonly recommended treatment for patients with mild to moderate sleep apnea, or people with severe apnea who cannot tolerate the use of the PAP machine.
Oral appliances are fabricated for individuals with sleep apnea. Oral appliances are custom-fitted by a dentist for placement in the mouth during sleep to prevent tissue and the base of the tongue from a recurrent collapse and blockage of the upper airway. Oral appliances generally move the mandible, tongue and soft palate forward to increase airway space and reduce the risk of airway collapse.
Patients with sleep apnea are advised to visit their dentist regularly for a thorough assessment of their dental and periodontal condition, as well as fabrication and maintenance of properly fitted oral appliances that can be used safely over time.
• Dr. Kendal V.O. Major is the founder and CEO of the Center for Specialized Dentistry, which is a comprehensive family dental practice operating in New Providence and Grand Bahama. He is the first Bahamian specialist in gum diseases and dental implants since 1989. He is also a certified fast braces provider. His practice is located at 89 Collins Avenue, New Providence. He can be contacted at (242) 325-5165 or kmajorcsd@gmail.com. For further information visit www.csddentistry.com.
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