As more patients turn to their dentists for help with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM) releases its educational standards for the dentists who practice dental sleep medicine.
“It is about ensuring those dentists who desire to treat patients with OSA or snoring are properly trained, so their patients are safely and effectively treated,” says David Schwartz, DDS, D.ABDSM, AADSM president-elect, in a release. His editorial explaining the organization’s position appears in the most recent issue of the Journal of Dental Sleep Medicine.
The AADSM launched the AADSM Mastery Program to provide standardized education to dentists who want to provide oral appliance therapy for OSA and snoring. The program consists of three levels of training comprising 65 hours of continuing education.
The AADSM has reached out to all US dental schools, inviting them to offer an accredited AADSM Mastery Program. The AADSM recently approved the first dental school to receive this designation.
“The inherent risk to the patient coupled with the professional liability risk the dentist is assuming is far too great to be fooled into thinking that no additional training is needed,” says Schwartz. “High-quality care is an absolute must, and proper education and training are the only pathways to ensure quality care.”
The AADSM states that standardized education based on a core curriculum is essential for the growth of the field. “I firmly believe that dentists will play an increasingly larger role in preventing medical diseases and treating illnesses such as OSA, snoring, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. There simply are not enough physicians, but to do so, we need to demonstrate that we are competent to provide optimal care,” says Schwartz.
Establishing educational standards addresses a topic that was not covered in the recent American Dental Association (ADA) Proposed Policy on the Role of Dentistry in the Treatment of Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders. That policy does not specify educational requirements for dentists to provide oral appliance therapy. It is in this context that the AADSM has taken on the responsibility of defining and providing the education necessary for dentists who want to practice dental sleep medicine at the highest level.
Thank you Dr.Schwartz and your associate educators and the AADSM for fulfilling this educational need. It is the bridge needed to advance the collaboration with the medical and dental sleep professionals and getting more patients into efficacious therapy.