All Dentists Should Screen Their Patients for Snoring and Sleep Apnea
18 million people in the United States alone suffer from sleep apnea, untold millions more snore. As a country we are experiencing an epidemic of obesity which can be a precursor of sleep apnea. Both snoring and sleep apnea are related to heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, depression, diabetes, erectile dysfunction and accidental injury or death due to drowsy driving.
Dentists are in an ideal position to ask a few simple questions (Do you snore loudly? Have you ever been told you stop breathing during sleep? Do you have high blood pressure? Do you tend to drowse off during the day?) and, if the patient answers in the affirmative, to either refer or initiate management for sleep apnea.
Easy, quick - maybe two minutes of time - to improve the health of their patients.
Ask your dentist to become involved.
Dr. Barsh
Dentists are in an ideal position to ask a few simple questions (Do you snore loudly? Have you ever been told you stop breathing during sleep? Do you have high blood pressure? Do you tend to drowse off during the day?) and, if the patient answers in the affirmative, to either refer or initiate management for sleep apnea.
Easy, quick - maybe two minutes of time - to improve the health of their patients.
Ask your dentist to become involved.
Dr. Barsh
posted by Dr. Larry Barsh at
9:07 AM
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