Dr. John W. Hooker of Tryon Family Dentistry recently completed a mini-residency program in “Dental Sleep Medicine” at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston, Mass. The program focused on the diagnosis and treatment of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), snoring and various other sleep-related breathing disorders (SBD).

In the United States alone, 5-9 percent of all people suffer from some degree of SBD or OSA and/or the associated systemic conditions such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, GERDS , pulmonary conditions and others.
It is believed that as many as 90 percent of patients with OSA have yet to be diagnosed, Hooker said.
The main treatment for OSA is continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Unfortunately, Hooker said, not all patients are able to use CPAP, and many who have tried CPAP in the past have given up and don’t realize there are other options.
Hooker said he offers help for patients who have given up on CPAP by fitting them with a custom-made dental appliance.
The Tufts residency program emphasized the importance of diagnosis of SBD and OSA and the co-morbid systemic conditions that may be related to nighttime breathing and sleeping abnormalities. It also focused on the importance of the medical and dental communities working hand-in-hand to care for this ever-increasing population of patients.
Hooker encourages patients suffering from any form of nighttime sleeping abnormalities, snoring, daytime sleepiness or insomnia to consult their primary care physician and seek a thorough sleep study at a certified sleep center.
For more information, call the office at 828-859-5839.
– article submitted
by Dr. John W. Hooker