The widely accepted definition of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is “a clinical condition in which there is intermittent and repeated upper airway collapse during sleep”. This results in irregular breathing at night and excessive sleepiness during the day. Complete apnea is defined as a ten-second pause in breathing activity.
OSAS is a worldwide phenomenon. The prevalence of OSAS in Western countries is around 4% in middle-aged men and around 2% in middle-aged women. The incidence is increasing as the incidence of obesity is increasing.
OSAS is highly prevalent in persons with type 2 diabetes and related metabolic conditions such as insulin resistance and glucose intolerance.
Risk factors include
- Obesity (strongest risk factor).
- Male gender.
- Middle age (55-59 in men, 60-64 in women).
- Smoking.
- Sedative drugs.
- Excess alcohol consumption.
- Family history
- Possibly genetic tendency related to jaw morphology.
- Obese children – they have a higher prevalence and severity of OSAS
Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a serious medical condition! Obstructive Sleep Apnea doesn’t just mean you snore and are sleepy during the day. It is associated with several serious conditions, with two of the most well known being depression, and most seriously significant cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
Many people don’t know that there is a field of dentistry called Dental Sleep Medicine and your Care Dental dentists are qualified in this area. As part of our standard of practice all patients are screened for Sleep Apnea. When risk factors meet a threshold, we offer at no-charge (a small refundable device deposit is held), a take home sleep study, the results of which, when reviewed by your family doctor or our referring MD will indicate the presence of sleep apnea or not. We work directly with your family doctor to prescribe testing to see if an oral appliance is suitable, or if a referral for CPAP is required. By virtue of the % of people that use them every night, an Oral Appliance is seen to have better compliance rates for mild apnea. CPAP has lower compliance rates however when used is effective all of the time. Either way, we’ve got you covered!
One of our catch phrases is #NothingButTheTooth, but when it comes to Obstructive Sleep Apnea, its more than just your pearly whites at stake. For patients that we’ve assisted, we often see life-changing improvements, and that’s what makes our day!
Visit us 24/7 for information and online booking at www.caredental.ca. Or, call us at 778-484-2256. We are always accepting new patients and look forward to hearing from you. Care Dental, the dentists that you’ll look forward to safely visiting.
#WhosYourDentist? Dr. Dan Kobi, General Dentist & Principal Dentist
Associate Dentists:
Dr. Chad Fletcher, General Dentist
Dr. Justin Abbot, General Dentist
Dr. Dionysius David, General Dentist
Dr. Danny Zare, General Dentist
Dr. Jack Gordon, General Dentist