Additionally, Dr. Brock Rondeau and Dr. Dawne Slabach have agreed to serve as our beta testers for the new on-demand ACSDD Diplomate certification training process. I am confident we will soon be announcing them both as distinguished ACSDD Diplomates. Watch for more information on the ACSDD on-demand Diplomate process.

Check out the statement from the American Heart Association here.

The National Initiative for Children’s Healthcare Quality (NICHQ) is a non-profit, independent quality improvement organization founded in 1999.  This group seeks to create more effective and efficient healthcare delivery systems for children, improving children’s care and overall well-being.  You can check out the site here.

NICHQ’s current initiatives are:

• the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity;
• improving care systems for children with special healthcare needs; and
• improving perinatal care.

Why should you care?

NICHQ’s additional foci include attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, asthma, and oral health, among others. All these conditions, including childhood obesity and the unique health issues of children with special needs, are demonstrated in the literature to be linked to sleep breathing disorders.  Although it’s often a chicken-and-egg discussion, the connection between these conditions and sleep breathing disorders is well documented.

The NICQH asserts the importance of children receiving care within the Medical Home (our discussion for next week), which means a medical practitioner takes charge of coordinating the patient’s care with other medical providers. The dentist’s role, as well as the importance of other types of healthcare practitioners is not discussed.

ACSDD member dentists have an opportunity to contribute to NICQH’s discussion of childhood obesity.  You see patients every six months, you know what to look for in terms of sleep disordered breathing in children, and you are acutely aware of the importance of collaboration with medical colleagues in identifying and treating these disorders in children.

The site has been thoroughly explored by your Academy.  Joining the site is free and it gives you access to the task forces, the research, and a variety of discussion boards.  We’ve created a discussion board on the site intended specifically for a discussion of sleep breathing disorders in children.  We encourage you to join the conversation and let your voice be heard.

You can check out the PCORI site here

Dr. Joe Selby, the director of PCORI, describes PCORI’s focus as one that concentrates on patient engagement and he asserts the value PCORI places on public feedback about systems of care and the care itself. Although central to the Initiative, the definition of “patient centered outcomes research” is in the process of being finalized, following a period of public comment from practitioners and patients across the country.

PCORI seeks to work with practitioners and patients to provide patients and their caregivers answers to these questions:
“Given my personal characteristics, conditions and preferences, what should I expect will happen to me?”
“What are my options and what are the benefits and harms of those options?”
“What can I do to improve the outcomes that are most important to me?”
“How can the health care system improve my chances of achieving the outcomes I prefer?”

Why should you care?
Dentists practicing Dental Sleep Medicine are providing a treatment option that has been slowly and surely attracting more and more proponents. The evidence for Dental Sleep Medicine’s success and high rates of patient acceptance and subsequent compliance is mounting.

PCORI is an organization trying hard to hear patient voices and to create healthcare systems around their preferences in collaboration with their healthcare providers. Dentists practicing Dental Sleep Medicine must continue to forge relationships with physicians and other healthcare providers in treating patients suffering from Sleep Breathing Disorders. In keeping with the mission of PCORI, healthcare providers’ collaborative efforts in the identification and management of sleep breathing disorders must continue to be strengthened and supported.

Keep your eye on PCORI’s website, and when you’re offered a chance to submit a comment, be sure to do so. The Academy will be watching closely as well for opportunities to have our community’s voice heard. PCORI may be a useful vehicle to further the spread of dentist and physician collaboration and the healthcare community’s acceptance of Dental Sleep Medicine as a patient-centered option.

Although the report was published in 2006, Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation is a report of which the dental sleep medicine practitioner should be acutely aware.

The report is available in hard copy and the PDF version is free to download from www.NAP.edu.  Just search for the report by its title.

What does the Institute of Medicine say?

The IOM’s Sleep Disorders and Sleep Deprivation describes sleep loss and sleep disorders as “among the most common yet frequently overlooked and readily treatable health problems” (p. 56).

The 425 page report recognizes the shortage of practitioners trained to identify and treat sleep breathing disorders, as well as the lack of funding by organizations such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and others to address what the literature is showing to be a continuum of diseases with increasing prevalence in the United States.

Sadly, this lengthy examination of what the IOM calls an “unmet health problem” does not sufficiently explore the role and importance of the dental practitioner in identification and management of sleep breathing disorders.

In their discussion of treatment options, the authors of the IOM report understand the research to demonstrate that patients are most effectively treated with CPAP and weight loss, but, they admit, “the problem is that many patients are non-compliant” (p. 75).  Dental appliances are called “less effective,” indicated only when a dental problem is “etiologically related” (p.303) and are given only a passing mention (exactly twice throughout the whole report).

In its detailed recommendations, the IOM asserts the importance of support by the NIH, academe, and private foundations to develop an adequate workforce to address sleep disorders and sleep deprivation, and to strengthen the interdisciplinary aspect of the field. The report outlines the merits of interdisciplinary care, and states that the field of sleep medicine is “particularly well-suited to interdisciplinary and translational strategies” (p.14). However, the absence of the dental sleep medicine practitioner’s role in meeting what the IOM describes as an “unmet public health need” addressed via an interdisciplinary team of practitioners remains conspicuous.

As the field grows, so too does the complexity of each practitioner’s needs.  The ACSDD is proud of its innovative continuing education and certification programs grounded in evidence-based clinical practice and current scientific research.

However, as more of our member dentists expand their scope of practice to include Dental Sleep Medicine, we want to ensure that that our members are aware of not only what the research says but also what’s happening policy-wise on a national and international level.

The ACSDD’s latest blog initiative, Good Science, is designed to keep our members up-to-date on the latest in Dental Sleep Medicine, specifically regarding the clinical research and scholarship dictating national and international healthcare policy that ultimately affects the Dental Sleep Medicine scope of practice.

We recognize the need for quality research and education in Dental Sleep Medicine as well as an understanding of the national and international healthcare policy from which the research derives.  This is why we are very excited about Good Science and its value to our members.

The Academy of Clinical Sleep Disorders Disciplines (ACSDD) and BioRESEARCH Associates, Inc., are pleased to announce their relationship. The synergistic effort of these two organizations marks an important milestone in the continuing development and growth of the field of Dental Sleep Medicine, TMD, and Pain.

Bio-RESEARCH Associates, Inc., develops and produces objective diagnostic aids for the TM Joint, craniofacial muscles, occlusion, jaw movement and position.  Joint Vibration Analysis^TM is used by dentists treating OSA and snoring to ensure they don’t exacerbate a subclinical TMJ issue with their snoring appliance.  Additionally, BioRESEARCH serves healthcare practitioners across the United States in both private and academic institutions and boasts a growing global network.

The ACSDD brings to the BioRESEARCH dental network its multidisciplinary Academy model, world-class on-line training curriculum in Sleep, TMD, and Pain, its on-line Fellows and Diplomate certification processes, outstanding biannual conference series, and unbeatable member services.

Mr. Nate Krey, Domestic  Sales Director for BioRESEARCH Associates, Inc., said, “This is an excellent opportunity for BioRESEARCH to partner with an organization that values objective diagnostics in craniofacial physiology.  Members may differ on their choice of treatment, but they all understand that a thorough diagnosis must come before treatment.”

Greg Kamyszek, Executive Vice President of BioRESEARCH, said, “Our partnering with the ACSDD will benefit our clients worldwide.  With solid distribution in Brazil, Russia, India, and China, we have clients and universities worldwide that will benefit from the ACSDD Fellow and Diplomate highly rigorous credentialing programs.”

ACSDD Founder and Executive Director, Dr. Michael J. Krahe, states,  “The ACSDD desires to discover synergies with all individuals, manufacturers, and providers who are similarly committed to our mission.  BioResearch is one such organization; we are proud to work with this group of scholars and scientists.  I invite others to contact me if they wish to explore a relationship with the ACSDD.”

The Old Griz has been very busy these past few months!

Here’s News to Share!

In September, I attended the World Association of Sleep Medicine (WASM) conference in Quebec, Canada. Dr. Gilles Lavigne was instrumental in introducing me to many at that conference and helped me to make connections with sleep physicians across the globe.

Then, in October, we had our Fall Conference at the Phoenix Ritz-Carlton: Pediatric OSA: Diagnosis, Treatment, and Prevention. Not only was attendance at a record high, but the speakers were very well received by all those who attended. If your schedule did not permit you to attend, you can still benefit.  Purchase the lectures here.

Two opportunities in November helped to carry the Academy Mission far and wide. I journeyed to Toronto for the AACP Canada Sleep Symposium, and I was invited to a Rondeau Seminar in Las Vegas to introduce the ACSDD. At both events, your Academy was very well received. A a result of these visits, we continue to grow!

And here is more good news.

Along with education in dental sleep medicine, your Academy will soon be offering online education in TMD and Craniofacial/Oral Pain. Now you will be able to get world-class training from the comfort and convenience of you home or office. Watch your ACSDD website for more courses as they come on line. In this way your Academy becomes a total training provider.

Another exciting announcement is our launch of our on-line Sleep Technologist training. Dr. Ellen Crean and ACSDD Technologist Liaison Jeremy Andra have spearheaded this incredible effort. This curriculum will provide outstanding advanced on-line training to the sleep technologist. Feel free to spread the word on this.

Mark Your Calendars!

January 14, 2012
Register for Sleep 101, a starter course for beginners in dental sleep medicine.  Our ACSDD Senior Medical and Dental Faculty members, Deepak Shrivastava, MD, and Ron Dean, DDS, will co-teach this course. Register here.

March 16, 2012
Your Academy will be participating in World Sleep Day, March 16, 2012, sponsored by WASM. We will be organizing several events in the Scottsdale area that will highlight the importance of healthy sleep. Dr. Ellen Crean, ACSDD member and presenter at our upcoming Spring 2012 conference, has taken the leadership role on this. It is a great way to call attention to you as a sleep dentist connected to your ACSDD.  Click here for more information on World Sleep Day.

April 19, 2012
Our inaugural meeting for the ACSDD Consortium will take place April 19, 2012, at 1 PM the day before our Spring 2012 conference. The Consortium is your Academy’s way of dealing with the big issues facing dentists: reimbursement, education, billing, and advocacy. I hope you will join us for this historic meeting to get organized in order to deal with the issues instead of having them dealt to us.  Together we will a difference. For information and to register, click here.

April 20 & 21, 2012:  Our Spring Conference!
Our All-Appliance Conference will bring some of the more often-used appliance inventors to talk about their appliances. We will also have a panel and plenty of time for Q&A. Whether you are new to dental sleep medicine or are a dental sleep medicine expert, this conference will offer something valuable to you.  For more information and to register, click here.

That’s all for now!  As always, if you have any questions, concerns, compliments, or complaints, call me —  814.881.7020.

Dr. Mike aka the Ol Griz

I have been invited to the World Academy of Sleep Medicine (WASM) to introduce the ACSDD. The meeting will take place in Quebec from September 10-14, 2011. This opportunity was made possible through the efforts of Drs. Cathy McGregor and David Rawson, two of our newest Diplomates and with the help of our great supporter Dr. Gilles Lavigne, Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Montreal. My personal thanks to each of them for this wonderful opportunity. You can find WASM at www.wasm2011.org.

Update on Consortium Concept

In addition to introducing the ACSDD to the conference-goers at WASM, I will be sharing my vision of the ACSDD Consortium concept. As I’m hopeful you are aware, the ACSDD Consortium concept has been launched, and we’ve gotten strong initial support. After meeting with the boards of the American Academy of Craniofacial Pain (AACP) and the International Association for Orthodontics (IAO) and others, interest in my consortium concept is growing rapidly. As you may recall, the purpose of the consortium is bring together, without politics, individual organizations to define and address the key issues facing dentists who work in dental sleep medicine. In the past, as you know, individual organizations have had no success in making any impact. It is an initiative to bring together individuals, groups, academic organizations, manufacturers, and the like to create an unified body to address systemic issues facing those in dental sleep medicine.

The major function of the consortium is as follows:
(1) to collectively develop an agenda of those critical items that we face, then
(2) to collectively develop how we are going to address those items as a unified voice, and finally
(3) to collectively act upon that plan.

For example, addressing insurance payers, addressing medicare and medicaid payment issues, educating physicians, and educating the public in a grass roots effort is what the Consortium proposes. Your Academy is taking action not just talking!

Our first formal organizational meeting will take place on Thursday, April 19th 2012, the day before our All-Appliance Conference on April 20-21, 2012, in Scottsdale, AZ. You can find out more about the Consortium effort on the ACSDD website.

I will share an update with you upon my return from Quebec.

Building Professional Relationships

I have been asked to serve as an Advisory committee member of the Sleep Professionals Association (SPA). I am honored to be part of this fine organization. SPA is a new organization with nearly 500 members and growing rapidly. Working with them brings RPSGTs and others to our multidisciplinary table and permits our network to learn from them. It is a powerful connection for your Academy. I will keep you informed on this connection.

Several weeks ago I had the pleasure of meeting Dr. Jack Dillenberg, Dean of the AT Still Dental School here in Arizona, and his leadership team. Jack is a dynamic and committed leader and AT Still is on the cutting edge on many fronts. We are now working with AT Still on spreading the word about OSA to their network and are working with them to arrange a meeting with the Arizona Medical Association to converse about the AT Still / ACSDD connection and our work to kill OSA.

Also, I have forged a relationship with the Arizona Chiropractic Association (ACA) via President and Executive Director, Dr. Alan M. Immerman to spread our multidisciplinary approach and ACSDD message. I have spoken personally with Alan and can tell you he is both a wonderful individual and professional who leads an outstanding organization. I am honored to be connected with the ACA.

Training Diplomate Candidates Online

We recently completed our first online Diplomate training program, and I am honored to report that all nine individuals passed the exam. They completed the training online on a Saturday and Sunday In July and passed the exam and case presentation in August. All this was from the comfort of their homes or offices. No travel expenses, no time away from the office, and a great learning experience. New Diplomates are Drs. Roger Cheung, Richard Goodfellow, Steve Lawson, Edmund Liem, Cathy McGregor, Jeff Praeger, David Rawson, Tom Walsh II, and Brent Wong.

Announcing Committee News

Your committees are all very busy. Curriculum Chair Dr. Lynn Lipskis is working hard on the ACSDD curriculum. Our target is to begin classes after the first of the year. Courses will be online. Membership Chair Dr. Dan Winter and his team are moving ahead with another membership campaign, so watch for details on this. One of the best ways for us to grow is by word of mouth — each one reach one — one person telling the value they find in the ACSDD. Conference Chair Dr. David Shirazi has again put together a “gold strike” of a conference for October 21-22, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona This conference will be an All-Pediatric OSA conference with some of the best speakers in the field. Please attend and share the conference dates and lineup of speakers within your network. It will be outstanding.

Sleep 101 / Have a Conversation with the ACSDD

Drs. Ron Dean and Deepak Shrivastava have recently taught an entry level course, Sleep 101. Details about Sleep 101 are on our website, www.acsdd.org.  The next presentation date will be announced on the website shortly.  If you are interested, keep checking back.

Our live webinar, Have a Conversation with the ACSDD, is scheduled for Thursday, September 15th, 2011. If you know of any colleague who is interesting in finding out more about our multidisciplinary approach and our unique mission and vision, please direct them to the Meet the ACSDD tab on our website to register.

Launching Fellows Program

The ACSDD will be launching our new Fellows Program in the near-term. It is designed to provide a rigorous learning experience as an entry step to becoming a Diplomate. The program will be used across the US, Canada, and Australia. Watch for more information on this. If you know of individuals who may have an interest, have them call me directly at 814-881-7020.

Thanks for reading!

Dr. Mike aka Ol’ Griz, ACSDD Executive Director