On the edge between medicine and dentistry: Review of the dentist's role in the diagnosis and treatment of snoring and sleep apnea

Objectives: Snoring and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) can affect both esthetics and health. In this review article, we describe the role of the dentist in evaluation and treatment of snoring and OSA in children and adults, with an emphasis on oral appliances as a means to treat the adult population. Data Sources: A comprehensive literature search of publications from 1934 to 2013 in the PubMed/Medline/ Science Direct databases was performed to collect information about snoring, OSA, and oral or dental appliances using these terms as key words. The search was limited to peer-reviewed articles written in English, with a few exceptions in other languages. The literature search was endorsed by manual searching through peer-reviewed journals and reference lists of the selected articles. Conclusion: The dentist's role in the diagnosis of OSA in children and in diagnosis and treatment in the adult population with the help of oral appliances is vital. Diagnosis and treatment by the aware dentist can reduce major health risk outcomes. Keywords: obstructive sleep apnea, oral appliances, snoring