Patient Information

An excerpt from Jennifer Krahe's article "While you were sleeping." Krahe, Jennifer. While you were Sleeping: an introduction to Sleep Disorders Dentistry. Spectrum Magazine. 2005: 4(2). 56-60.

SDD concentrates on the reduction of patients’ respiratory distress resulting from sleep disordered breathing—i.e. snoring and sleep apnea.

Through diagnostic equipment employing acoustic reflection, dentists can map the patient’s airway with sound waves - drawing a real-time picture of its anatomic structure. In conjunction with oral appliance therapy, mapping the airway allows dentists to reduce respiratory distress by seating and titrating an oral appliance effectively.

Acoustic reflection is performed chairside, in the dentist's office, with the Eccovision, the device shown in the image below. Acoustic reflection is quick, painless, and the scan of your airway appears instantly on a monitor that is connected to the equipment.



What the scan looks like:



The scan is performed with two tools: the pharyngometer and rhinometer. The pharyngometer measures the oral airway and the rhinometer measures the nasal passages. It's important to check both the oral and nasal airways for obstruction. If the obstruction is in the nasal passages, the patient might be given a decongestant and the test run again. If swelling is occurring in the nose, the dentist might refer the patient to an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist.

As for the oral airway, the pharyngometer is used. It can determine the existence of airway obstruction and the patient's candidacy for oral appliance therapy



Viviano, John S. , D.D.S. "Acoustic Reflection: Review and Clinical Applications for Sleep-Disordered Breathing. " Sleep and Breathing 6.3 (2002):129-149.

Schmmitt-Nowara, Wolfgang et al. "Oral Appliances for the Treatment of Snoring and Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Review. " Sleep 18.6 (March 1995): 501-510.

Ferguson, Kathleen. "Oral Appliance Therapy for Obstructive Sleep Apnea. Finally Evidence you can sink your teeth into. " American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. 163 (2002): 1294-1295.