Dental Sleep Medicine Standards for Screening, Treatment, and Management of Sleep-Related Breathing Disorders in Adults Using Oral Appliance Therapy: An Update

Oral appliance therapy is a proven, effective treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and snoring. With more than 54 million adults having OSA in the United States, dentists play an integral role in increasing access to care for those with undiagnosed and untreated OSA. These standards outline an approach to patient management that underscores the collaborative care that is necessary between dentists and physicians and provides guidance for patient examination, patient screening, treatment management, education, and follow up care. Although this article provides best practices for dental sleep medicine as it currently exists, the fluid and dynamic nature of DSM should be recognized, with the understanding that periodic updates to these standards will be required.

Keywords: best practice, obstructive sleep apnea, oral appliance therapy, sleep-related breathing disorders, standard

Citation: Levine M, Cantwell M, Postol K, Schwartz D. Dental sleep medicine standards for screening, treating, and management of sleep-related breathing disorders in adults using oral appliance therapy. J Dent Sleep Med. 2025;12(2)

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May 2025 DSM standards of Practice Update.pdf

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