Dentists and their teams are uniquely positioned to screen for sleep apnea and craniofacial pain. Why? Because they are trained to evaluate the entire patient. And with dentists seeing patients at least twice a year, they can recognize traits, characteristics, and behaviors that may predispose patients to various systemic conditions. It is time to consider screening for sleep apnea and craniofacial pain in your dental practice.

Globally, about 1 billion people between the ages of 30 and 69 have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The prevalence of OSA continues to rise and affect all countries, especially as it is driven by an increase in obesity, a major risk factor for sleep apnea.

On top of that, craniofacial pain appears to occur in about 10% of the adult population, with women affected two times more than men. And it is one of the most common causes of chronic pain after back, neck, and knee pain. Yet, while acute pain in the craniofacial area is often tooth-related, chronic craniofacial pain is most commonly related to musculoskeletal disorders such as temporomandibular joint disorders (TMDs).

Any way you look at it, OSA and craniofacial pain are interrupting the lives of individuals across the globe. Knowing the prevalence of these conditions signals a growing need to provide relief for patients with these conditions, and dentists are in a unique position to do so.

As dentists, we are committed to providing our patients with relief from their conditions. However, it is vital that dentists advance their education to learn more about dental sleep medicine and craniofacial pain in order to provide proper care.

Craniofacial Pain:

• Anatomy Related to Sleep and TMD
• Neuroanatomy related to pain
• TMJ Disorder
• Muscle Disorders
• History taking for pain
• Imaging for TMD and Sleep
• Pharmacology for Pain
• Injections
• Basic Concept of Pain
• TMJ Splint Therapy
• Neurovascular/Neuropathic Pain
• Understanding Oral Appliance Therapy for Pain and Sleep

Dental Sleep Medicine:

• Physiology of Normal and Abnormal Sleep
• Classification of Sleep Disorders and HST/PSG
• Screening for Dental Sleep Medicine and Identifying Patients within your Practice
• Treatment Options for OSA
• Oral Appliance Selection and Procedures
• Dental Sleep Medicine Case Management
• Building a TMD and DSM Practice
• Pediatric Sleep Medicine
• Getting paid – medical billing

This Mini-Residency program offers a variety of exciting workshops and hands on demonstrations throughout the four sessions.

Through these workshops, each attendee will receive two different dental sleep appliances made for themselves.

Hands-on Modules:

• TMJ Evaluation, ROM, Cranial Nerve Evaluation, Muscle Palpation Workshop
• Fitting Temp Appliances
• Injection Workshop
• Bite Registrations for TMD and Sleep Appliances
• Seating OSA Appliances and Trouble Shooting Problems

• Basic understanding of the physiology of sleep, breathing, sleep-related movement disorders, upper airway resistance syndrome, adult and pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
• Review of health consequences of sleep deficiency.
• Understanding the anatomy as it relates to the upper airway to understand the anatomic model of airway obstructions better.
• Understand the interrelationship between TMD and sleep.
• Review the common orofacial pain disorders (internal derangements, muscle disorders, neuropathic, neurovascular) and the criteria to diagnose such conditions.
• Review patient intake forms and conduct a comprehensive interview to gather clues to help with a differential diagnosis.
• Hands-on examination, taking sleep appliance and TMJ appliance bite registration.
• Review of oral appliances for the management of OSA and which appliance is appropriate for each case.
• Hands-on appliance fitting, adjustment, and troubleshooting.
• Review normal and pathological images of Panorex, CBCT, and MRIs of the TMJ and upper airway.
• Indication and contraindications of injections for orofacial pain.
• Hands-on module allowing clinicians to feel comfortable with the landmark and techniques of such injections.
• Fabricating temporary appliances for TMD and Sleep.

Tuition: $9975

TUSDM Alumni: $9000

TUSDM Faculty: $9000

VA Members: $7980

Payment Plans are available. You can select this option when registering for this course. You will be required to pay $2,500 upon registration and then 1/3 of the remaining balance two weeks prior to each session.

All Dental Professionals interested in this topic and those interested in incorporating it into their practice.

Participation Credit Hours: 60

AGD Code: 730, 180

Remaining Seats: 47

Full tuition refund or credit will be given for cancellations received at least one month prior to the course start date. Refunds or tuition credit will not be given after that time or to no-shows.

If a CE course obtains enough registrations where a wait list is established, the CE office will notify individuals with unpaid registration balances and ask them to pay their balance to secure their place in the course. If payment is not made to secure their place, the CE office has the right to offer that place to a paying individual on the wait list.

Tufts University is committed to promoting safe campus environment. Currently there are no required screenings prior to attending a Continuing Education/Lifelong Learning and Distance Education course at Tufts University School Dental Medicine.

Individuals are asked to use masks on clinical floors and masking is an option in classroom settings.

For our international participants attending On Campus modules, please review necessary travel requirements prior to entering the United States of America. As Continuing Education programs do not lead to a degree, they are not eligible for Student Visas (category F) and are instead eligible for Visitor Business Visas (category B-1). Please visit https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/tourism-visit/visitor.html or individual United States of America's Embassy/Consulate's website. If you require a letter verifying your registration and payment for a course in the United States of America, please contact the Continuing Education Office at dentalce@tufts.edu. Please also review this website for current entry limitations into the US: https://icenter.tufts.edu/immigration/covid-19/coronavirus-travel-suspensions/. These rules are subject to change, so please continuously monitor.