The Role of Dental Hygienists in Addressing Sleep Breathing Disorders

These clinicians are uniquely positioned to provide screening, compliance support, and education on treating these common health problems.

EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
After reading this course, the participant should be able to:

1. Define obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), sleep breathing disorders, and current screening methods.
2. Discuss standard and adjunctive treatments for individuals with sleep breathing disorders.
3. Identify the connection between untreated sleep breathing disorders and systemic health conditions.
4. Describe the unique strengths of dental hygienists to educate patients about sleep breathing disorders.

This course was issued in December 2020 and expires December 2023. The authors have no commercial conflicts of interest to disclose. This 2 credit hour self-study activity is electronically mediated.