Dentistry and Dental Implants

Biography

Biography: Shreya Goud

Abstract

Chronic persistent snoring exists as a very common manifestation worldwide, which increases in prevalence as the age advances. It is caused by an interplay between a variety of factors which include sleep related loss of muscle tone in the tissues supplied by the glossopharyngeal nerve, anatomical obstruction of the nasal passages, large tonsils, large tongue, retrognathic mandible, obesity ,alcohol, sedatives, allergies and certain medical conditions. In certain cases it can be of medical concern as it is a key symptom of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. Apnea refers to cessation of breathing for 10sec or longer and when 30 or more apneic episodes occur in the course of 7 hours of sleep, resulting in excessive sleepiness during the waking hours, then the patient is described as having sleep apnea syndrome. Unlike central sleep apnea there is no cessation of respiratory effort in Obstructive sleep apnea but the effort is simply rendered ineffective by the obstruction. Considering this aspect and the fact that individuals with narrow airways and/or craniofacial anomalies are more likely to present with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, dentistry has a pivotal role to play in the identification and possible treatment of these individuals presenting with OSA. This poster would present with an overview of the basic aspects of this sleep related disorder viz, its causes ,its effects on the quality of life, various investigations for its diagnosis and the scope of Orthodontic Appliances in dealing with the problem, along with giving fair consideration to other modalities of treatment