Dental Sleep Medicine among dental practitioners: Preliminary findings from the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network.

Objectives/introduction: Dental sleep medicine (DSM) focuses on oral appliance therapy (OAT) to manage sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), including obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This brief poll aimed to assess the interest and practices of dental practitioners in DSM. To this day lack of data exists regarding how DSM practices function in the clinical setting. Therefore, identifying knowledge gaps in DSM among dental practitioners may improve patient outcomes.

Methods: A preliminary brief questionnaire ("Quick Poll") on DSM was conducted through the National Dental Practice-Based Research Network (Network) members (n=311). The poll contained five questions about DSM.

Results: Results showed that 66% of practitioners have involvement in DSM patient care. A total of 44% of practitioners who answered the Quick Poll do not screen for snoring or SDBs. About 40% of respondents are either interested in continuing education courses on the topic or had already taken multiple courses on DSM. The top three topics of DSM research of interest to practitioners were various DSM practice models, response to OAT, and compliance with OAT.

Conclusion: Network dental practitioner respondents face challenges regarding the treatment of SDBs. Despite these challenges, most practitioners are interested in engaging in DSM. Based on these preliminary findings, there are informational needs regarding the current state of clinical care, side effects of OAT, choice of OAT, titration protocols, and patient outcomes.