Dental Sleep Medicine: an Interview with Dr. Barry Glassman
John Viviano DDS D,ABDSM
Clinical Director at Sleep Disorders Dentistry Research and Learning Centre
Due to an increasing number of enquiries from patients of record, more and more dentists are being drawn into the management of Snoring and Sleep Apnea with an Oral Appliance. Currently, there is no shortage of CE programs that review this area, many providing good and adequate training and some, heavily sponsored by Industry with an agenda to sell equipment. But that is nothing new.
Finding basic training in Dental Sleep Medicine is fairly straight forward; it’s Honest, Evidence Based Advanced Training that is more elusive. Enter Dr. Barry Glassman. Barry has a reputation for being a straight shooting, unfiltered, show me the evidence educator. His personal belief system has been molded by many years of seeking the truth, which in our world is synonymous with “Evidence Based Medicine”. In his upcoming 2-Day Advanced program, Barry reviews some of the most important and controversial areas of Dental Sleep Medicine and provides insights as to how to read and qualify Dental Sleep Medicine Research so that serious clinicians can differentiate the platinum from the non-precious claims!
Recently, I had a conversation with Barry about why he feels this program is particularly useful for the general dentist involved in Dental Sleep Medicine…
John: I am very excited about your upcoming Advanced Dental Sleep Medicine program in Toronto this March. Perhaps you can share with us some of the reasons you feel that this program is a must for dentists serious about practicing Dental Sleep Medicine…
Barry: Well, as dentists, we leave dental school ill prepared to be critical about how to read and evaluate medical literature. Unfortunately, this leaves us very vulnerable to going down the wrong path in our clinical management of Sleep Apnea patients. One of the strong emphasis in this program is to learn how to be critical about published studies and how to avoid being misled by claims that can be easily misrepresented by those with an agenda. As you know, I often talk about the tortuous path my early career took as a result of the dental myths spread through dentistry, as though they were unquestioned facts; myths propagated by continued confirmation bias. I think it is very important for dentists to develop the skills to avoid being duped by dental myths being spread in the area of Dental Sleep Medicine, and this program teaches those skills.
John: That sounds great! Aside from sidestepping the horse dung, what else will the attendees learn at this program?
Barry: There are many programs that complicate the management of Sleep Apnea patients with unnecessary protocols that are myth based. These protocols do not serve the patient; they only create barriers to treatment. By setting aside these myths and sticking to what we do know from the literature, we can help our patients in the quickest, most cost effective manner possible.
John: Are you going to cover the nuts and bolts of running a Dental Sleep Medicine Practice?
Barry: Of course, we will be reviewing the basics, summarizing new developments and discussing in a very meaningful way how one deals with the many stumbling blocks a general dentist experiences in building a sleep practice. We will also be discussing internal practice management and staffing issues, and coordinating care with medical colleagues. We will be reviewing every step of the process beginning with the initial visit right through to follow-up when the appliance is optimally titrated. The use of home sleep tests to help guide titration will be reviewed along with the handling of muscle, joint and ligament insertion injuries and much more. This program is great for those clinicians who are already practicing dental sleep medicine; it is an excellent ‘refresher course’ that also probes more deeply into this area of practice. Attendees will be sent a link to download literature that will be reviewed during the program and attendees will be assigned one article to review and present to the group. This interaction is a great learning experience!
John: Sign me up!
Barry: Really, this course will change the way you deal with each and every sleep patient you treat. Dispelling the myths about occlusion and TMD will liberate you and help you become a more effective and confident clinician.
John: Can you elaborate on the types of daily issues we will be better able to deal with after taking this program?
Barry: Well, you will finally have better answers to:
Patient complaints about…
…bite issues post appliance wear
…finding a comfortable bite
…sore joints upon wakening or as the day progresses
…clicking joints and pain
…joint and muscle issues
And of course much more!
John: Thanks for sharing Barry. I am really looking forward to hearing you present this material in Toronto.
For more information, or to register for Barry’s upcoming program, call or email Callie at 905 607 3777 [email protected]
Download a flyer by clicking on image below…
Cheers Everyone,
?John Viviano DDS D ABDSM
SleepDisordersDentistry CE Programs
SleepDisordersDentistry LinkedIn Group
Facility Accredited by American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine
Director Of Education at Dedicated Sleep Director of Education at Dr. Barry Glassman Seminars
7 年Interesting, John. You always capture the heart of our conversations so well. What I LOVE about this course is that it covers so many of the aspects that can't possibly be dealt with in any depth in an introductory course -- and that our attendees have some experience so that they are in a better place to grow and use the material that is specifically designed for them. Yes, we do an introduction which reviews in greater detail the physiology of sleep -- and look at some of the recent work that helps us understand more about sleep staging and REM in particular. The lit section remains a highlight to me. It is a tremendous aid in preventing some of the dental myths from taking over our thought processes. And most importantly, we spend a lot of time on how to make you and your staff better prepared for the practice of dental sleep medicine in terms of not only PRACTICE management, but PATIENT management -- and good patient management requires a positive change in our "internal" models -- a change that will also help us in our general dental practices and in our lives. I DO love this course -- and honestly believe it is unique. Ours was the FIRST advanced course offered -- and continues to be updated. I encourage anyone with any interest to contact me-- or John Viviano DDS D,ABDSM