Guidelines

 

Practice Guidelines for Dental Sleep Medicine

The AADSM has developed statements and guidelines to help dentists treat patients with snoring and obstructive sleep apnea using oral appliance therapy.

Consensus Paper on Identifying the Appropriate Therapeutic Position of an Oral Appliance

An American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM) task force evaluated a variety of methods for identifying the therapeutic position of an oral appliance. In this paper, the task force lays out the most clinically useful methods and provides a protocol on how to use each method.

View Consensus Paper on Therapeutic Positioning

Position on the Scope of Practice for Dentists Ordering or Administering HSATs

This paper details the AADSM position that it is within the scope of practice for a qualified dentist (a dentist who treats sleep-related breathing disorders and who continually updates their dental sleep medicine knowledge and training) to order and administer home sleep apnea tests (HSATs). Data from HSATs should be interpreted by a licensed medical provider for initial diagnosis and verification of treatment efficacy.

View Position on Scope of Practice for Ordering and Administering HSATs

Position on OAT Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic

In response to COVID-19, the AADSM has released a position statement advocating that oral appliance therapy be prescribed as a first-line therapy for obstructive sleep apnea during the pandemic.This position paper is a pre-print that will appear in the July issue of the Journal of Dental Sleep Medicine. 

View Position on COVID-19

Definition of an Effective Oral Appliance

In response to the demands of an emerging profession to set standards of care, the AADSM Board of Directors brought together leaders in the profession to develop the definition of an effective oral appliance for the treatment of sleep disordered breathing based on current research and clinical experience. The definition and report were published in 2014 in the Journal of Dental Sleep Medicine.

The definition was updated in 2019 to reflect latest evidence and clinical practice. A task force was convened to review the original 2014 report as well as current, relevant research on oral appliance therapy. Updates to the definition include clarifications on: the need for oral appliances (OAs) to be made of biocompatible material, inclusion of prefabricated components (if the device is not primarily prefabricated), use of mechanical hinges or metallic materials, devices that prevent dislodging and finally, the lifetime of the appliance. 
 
  

Dental Sleep Medicine Standards for Screening, Treating and Managing Adults with Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders

This document was published in the July 2018 issue of the Journal of Dental Sleep Medicine and provides guidance for patient examination, patient screening, education and treatment management.

View Standards

Management of Side Effects of Oral Appliance Therapy for Sleep-Disordered Breathing

Published in 2017, this document provides a set of consensus recommendations to guide dentists in the management of side effects as a consequence of OAT. 

View Side Effect Recommendations

Policy Statement on a Dentist's Role in Treating Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders

The AADSM firmly believes that by screening and providing oral appliance therapy, dentists, with appropriate training and in collaboration with physicians, help reduce the number of undiagnosed and untreated patients with sleep-disordered breathing, which includes snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.


View Policy Statement

Clinical Practice Guideline for Oral Appliance Therapy

Published in 2015, this guideline was commissioned by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM). A joint task force conducted a systematic review of the literature and developed evidence-based recommendations. This evidence was counterbalanced by an assessment of the relative benefit of the treatment versus the potential harms. The board of directors of both the AASM and AADSM approved the final guideline.

The AASM and AADSM expect this guideline to have a positive impact on professional behavior, patient outcomes, and, possibly, health care costs. This guideline reflects the state of knowledge at the time of publication and will require updates if new evidence warrants significant changes to the current recommendations.
 
Ramar K, Dort LC, Katz SG, Lettieri CJ, Harrod CG, Thomas SM, Chervin RD. Clinical practice guideline for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and snoring with oral appliance therapy: an update for 2015. Journal of Dental Sleep Medicine 2015;2(3):71– 125.
  

Complications and Side Effects Guide

The AADSM has identified a series of problems and solutions associated with oral appliance therapy. These findings were originally published in Dialogue and are considered a work in progress.