Snoring and the role of the GDP: British Society of Dental Sleep Medicine (BSDSM) pre-treatment screening protocol

The Kushida Index as a screening tool for obstructive sleep apnoea-hypopnoea syndrome

“…17 It is recommended that dentists should only treat patients who are not obese, have no relevant medical or OSAHS history and who have an ESS <10. Some dentists may wish to obtain further training in the use of home overnight recording devices, either simple pulse oximeters or more complex multi-channel devices.…”

“…10 However, one screening method that showed potential, with a sensitivity of 97.6% and a specificity of 100%, was published by Kushida et al in 1997. 11 Bearing in mind that the role of dentists in the management of patients with OSAHS has become more established over the last decade, [12][13][14][15][16][17] the Kushida Index appears to be a simple screening tool that could be used by dentists in general dental practice to screen those patients with a suspicion of OSAHS.…”

Therapeutic Path of Dental Expertise in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS)

“…Reduced sleep quality, with daytime sleepiness, is associated with performance alterations, decreased concentration, irritability and, in more severe cases, with a true psychomotor slowdown [7] [8]. All of these factors severely affect the quality of life of the patient and are intended to evolve toward more serious clinical frameworks, characterized by the increased chance of emergence of pathologies such as systemic hypertension, ischemic heart disease, heart attack, pulmonary hypertension, and heart arrhythmias [9] [10].…”

Summary of: The Kushida Index as a screening tool for obstructive sleep apnoea-hypopnoea syndrome

“…It cannot be recommended for routine use on the basis of this study Dentists who provide oral appliances for snoring should ensure that they are indemnified by their dental protection organisation 1,2 and follow authoritative guidelines for good practice. 3 Good co-operation between dentists and respiratory physicians and further collaborative research is needed in this interface between medicine and dentistry.…”