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

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. 
 
View Complications and Side Effects Guide
 

Archive of AADSM Guidelines

AADSM clinical practice guidelines are periodically reviewed for content and relevance in order to ensure the field has the most up-to-date information and guidance. When more current guidelines are available, outdated guidelines are archived. A list of archived guidelines can be accessed below.