Snoring and obstructive sleep apnea from a dental perspective

Proper diagnosis and treatment of sleep-related disorders are best handled via a team approach. This team may include a general dentist treating in conjunction with other sleep specialists. However, to provide care, dentists must have a basic understanding of sleep disorders. This paper provides a dental overview of sleep-related breathing disorders, including key definitions, an outline of a diagnostic protocol, a discussion of the factors involved in decision-making, and a summary of the wide variety of treatment modalities.