ABOUT THE HOST
I was driven to become a neurologist out of my interest in how the brain works. After finishing my neurology residency, I went to Stanford University to do my sleep fellowship with the world-renowned Christian Guilleminault. Within the first few weeks, I became aware of what I call “basic truths about sleep disorders” that are so pivotal and impactful on overall health. I was so bothered that I had gone through 4 years of medical school, an internship, and 3 years of neurology residency without learning these “basic truths”, and had I known, it would have enhanced my ability to treat my patients. I said to myself, “it shouldn’t require a fellowship in sleep medicine to obtain these “basic truths about sleep disorders” and I made it my mission to be part of the solution and teach healthcare professionals these “truths” to enhance patient care.
During my academic position at UCLA in the 1990’s I was extensively involved in teaching neurology residents, medical students, and fellows. When I transitioned into private practice and moved to Texas my mission of teaching the “basic truths” had not changed. So, I started the Sleep Education Consortium in 2004 to spread the knowledge to those who will never do a sleep fellowship yet could benefit from this knowledge of the “basic truths about sleep disorders”. Over the past 19 years, I have directed this conference, each year enhancing the knowledge of those who attend. I know, from the feedback I’ve received, that I have made an impact on many healthcare professionals, which proliferates the impact by enhancing the lives of their patients.
The educational battle has basically just begun. Medical schools only provide 2 to 4 hours, over four years, teaching medical students anything about sleep. It is my mission to help compensate for this deficit and teach the “basic truths about sleep disorders”. Working with my colleagues we have put together a course packed with information over several days to teach and raise the level of care to meet the needs of our patients.
ABOUT THE DENTAL SLEEP CONFERENCE
The dental sleep conference architects the growing link between dentistry and sleep medicine, making it clear how the dentist can play a larger role in the overall health of patients.
The Sleep Education Consortium presents a unique opportunity to learn about the dentists’ role in sleep medicine beyond just placing an oral appliance in a patient.
In an effort to provide the best educational experience, the conference provides lectures specifically designed to address the educational needs of the D.D.S. with the first day consisting of hands-on sessions to learn about the oral exam, working with appliances, and taking bite registrations amongst other things. The second and third day of lectures is open to all healthcare professionals, such as physicians, and has a broader range of sleep-related lecture topics are covered.
By addressing the patients’ questions regarding sleep issues, the dentist and support staff can be grounded in the broader aspect of sleep disorders. The conference will allow the dentist and support staff to become familiar with many sleep problems, and they can be more responsive to questions patients may ask as the dentist screens for sleep disorders within their practice. The educational methods will include lectures, Q&A, panel discussions, and hands-on workshops.
The hands-on experience workshops will teach how to take a bite record, perform an airway exam and make a morning repositioner appliance. This course will provide dental professionals with a pathway for building a dental sleep medicine aspect of their dental practice while functioning within accepted medical standards.
GAIN THE KNOWLEDGE YOU NEED
The three-day comprehensive conference course structure is tailored to provide dental professionals with the essentials to you need to build your dental practice in this evolving area of sleep and airway dentistry.
This course establishes the framework for enhancing collaboration between dental and medical professionals, both didactic and clinical educational methods, in the diagnosis and management of patients with sleep and airway disorders. It will become clear how you can play a larger role in the overall health of your patients by learning to:
- Identify airway disease as the central root cause of medicine.
- Grow your dental practice.
- Develop clinical pathways to improve your practice.
- Offer valuable services to patients.
- Bill medically for services related to dental and sleep medicine.
- Empower and educate your patients about prevention in airway health.
- Understand the field of sleep medicine and devices.
Dentists and staff attending this conference will become educated on the broad spectrum of sleep disorders on a basic level and learn, in a more detailed fashion, about sleep-related breathing disorders. You will gain knowledge that will help when screening for sleep disorders or providing guidance to patients who need proper medical care, by physician colleagues, for both sleep disturbances and airway dysfunctions.
The conference will offer hands-on experience to practice taking a bite record, performing an airway exam, and in making a morning repositioner. This course will provide you with a pathway for building this aspect of your dental practice while functioning within accepted medical standards.
Taking a sleep history is not something typically taught in medical or dental school. If you are interested in a comprehensive approach to patients with sleep issues and gaining knowledge of how to approach sleep history, the SEC conference is the place to go.
Want to get a jump start on what questions to ask? Try using the SEC’s one-page sleep questionnaire. Don’t wait until April’s SEC conference, get the FREE sleep questionnaire to start understanding what questions to ask patients now so that you can start enhancing your care of patients with sleep-related health issues.
CONFERENCE AGENDA
The Sleep Education Consortium (SEC) presents a unique opportunity to learn about the dentists’ role in sleep disorders medical field. This conference is a three-day event for dentists. Below is the agenda for all three days of the conference. The first day is designed for dentists, whereas the second day and first half of the third day is designed for both physicians and dentists. Then concluding in the afternoon of the third day is a focused approach for dentists to integrate sleep medicine into their practice from a practical standpoint.
DAY 1
Thursday, April 4th
8:00am - 9:00amIntroduction - Sleep and Breathing: The Basics of Understanding Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Its Relationship to Dentistry
9:00am - 9:45amOverview of the Various Types of Dental Interventions in the Treatment of OSA: The Dentists Approach to the Airway Exam
9:45am - 10:15amModern Concepts in Temporal Mandibular Dysfunction: Why Dentists Must Understand OSA to Optimally Treat TMD Patients
- 10:30am - 11:15am
Overview of Appliance Therapy and Understanding the Different Types Available: Minimizing Side Effects with Morning Repositioners
- 11:15am - 11:35am
Taped Video: The Basic Key Points a Dentist Needs to Recognize on an Oral Airway Exam
11:35am - 11:45amTaped Video: Performing the Oral Exam to Assess for Tongue Restrictions and Other Signs of Myofunctional Disorders
- 4:30pm - 5:00pm
Identifying and Managing Complications in OSA Patients Treated with Oral Appliance Therapy
- 5:20pm - 5:40pm
Optimal Communication for Physician Collaboration: What Information to Send to a Physician for a Referral and Sleep Study Request
- 5:40pm - 6:00pm
Wrap-up and Review: Q&A Session
DAY 2
Friday, April 5th- 8:00am - 10:00am
Overview of Sleep Physiology and Sleep Pathology: The Link Between Insomnia, Narcolepsy, Sleep Fragmentation and Other Disorders of Sleep
- 10:30am - 12:00pm
The Full Spectrum of Obstructive Breathing During Sleep from the Upper Airway Resistance Syndrome and Sleep Bruxism to Obstructive Sleep Apnea: The Role of Different Types of Sleep Testing, and Treatment Approaches
- 1:00pm - 1:45pm
Airway Centric Dentistry in the Management of Sleep Bruxism and the Role of Combination Therapy
1:45pm - 2:45pmOrthodontics Approaches to Airway Expansion and the Role of Appliance Therapy in Airway Management of OSA
2:45pm - 3:45pmHow Identification of Skeletal Malocclusion Phenotypes Before Age 6 Can Reduce the Burden of SDB/OSA Co-Morbidity via Interceptive Orthodontic/Dentofacial Orthopedic Interventions
4:00pm - 4:45pmMyofunctional Influence on Airway Development and Appropriate Interventions from the Cradle to the Grave (Part 1: Early Life)
- 4:45pm - 5:30pm
Myofunctional Influence on Airway Development and Appropriate Interventions from the Cradle to the Grave (Part 2: From Childhood and Beyond)
5:30pm - 6:15pmNew Approaches with Oral Surgery Using State-of-the-Art 3D Printing Tools
DAY 3
Saturday, April 6th- 8:00am - 9:00am
Understanding the Results of Sleep Testing, From the Lab to the Home, the Role of Telemedicine and New Remote Patient Monitoring Techniques to Enhance the Level of Care
9:00am - 10:00amRLS and Degenerative Disorders of the CNS Triggering Parasomnias
10:15am - 11:30amConnecting Connective Tissue Dysfunction into the Web of Sleep / Airway Pathology and the Spiky Leaky Syndrome
11:30am - 12:00pmIntegration of Ankyloglossia and Nasal Breathing Treatments into ENT Evaluation and Management of Compromised Airway Dynamics: A Brief Introduction
12:00pm - 12:30pmENT Management of OSA Including the Use of Inspire, Hypoglossal Nerve Stimulation
1:30pm - 2:00pmMeasuring Daytime Sleepiness from Questionnaires to More Objective Tools Such as Quantitative EEG: Using Brain Mapping (qEEG) to Screen and Monitor Patients with Sleep Disorders.
- 2:00pm - 2:45pm
The Role of Oral Appliances in Remodeling the Airway and the Use of Aligner Therapy in the Management of Airway Dysfunction with new Combination Options with Oral Appliance Therapy
- 3:00pm - 3:45pm
New Approaches in Adult Orthodontics for the Treatment of OSA with the Teledontic / ApnoTX and Telegnathic Surgical Assisted Approaches Beyond the MARPE and DOME Procedures
5:00pm - 5:45pmMedical Billing for Sleep Medicine Services and What Dentists Need to Know
Dentist $1,899 (Early Bird $1,499)
- 3-Day Course:
- * Includes breakfast, lunch, and snacks during the break
- * 24 CE Credits
- * Early bird pricing available through December 15, 2023
- $1,499
Non-Dentist $599 (Early Bird $499)
- 3-Day Course:
- * Includes breakfast, lunch, and snacks during the break
- * Refer a dentist and receive a discount (see Registration page for details)
- * Early bird pricing available through December 15, 2023
- $499
CONFERENCE FACULTY
Jerald H. Simmons, MD
Ronald S. Prehn, ThM, DDS
Rob Veis, DDS
Sal Rodas, MBA
Joseph Yousefian, DMD, MS
Kevin Boyd, DDS
David Alfi, MD, DDS
Andrew J. Maxwell, MD
Courtney Snow
Kristie Gatto MA, CCC-SLP, COM®
NICOLE GOLDFARB M.A., CCC-SLP, COM®
William G. Ondo, MD
Christopher M. Tran, MD
Cheng-Huai Ruan, MD
Andrew T. Huang, MD, FACS
Howard Hindin, DDS
Conference Location
DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Houston
Greenway Plaza, Houston, TX
6 E Greenway Plaza, Houston, Texas, 77046
TEL: +1-713-629-1200 | FAX: +1-713-850-2336
For reservations and more information on the facility please click HERE.
