Since 1992, Dr. Laurence I. Barsh, the Snoring Isn’t Sexy, LLC’s founder and former president of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, has been actively involved in treating sleep apnea. He currently spends his time in educating the general public about the roles and responsibilities of dentists in recognizing and managing sleep apnea as well as snoring.
Almost 20 million Americans are suffering from sleep apnea, a sleeping disorder which is characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep.
Sleep apnea and snoring have been associated to various ailments such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, erectile dysfunction and depression. These are in addition to death and car accidental injury.
Only 10% of the 20 million Americans who are suffering from sleep apnea have been diagnosed. Those who have sleep apnea have lesser life span as compared to those who have no sleeping disorder.
Dr. Laurence I. Barsh stated in a published editorial in Sleep and Breathing, Volume 13, No. 1, “Oral appliance therapy [for the treatment of snoring and sleep apnea] has been accepted as an alternative or supplement to CPAP in some instances and yet the public and many dentists and physicians remain unaware of the vital role of the dentist as part of the healthcare team for the recognition and management of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.”
“Because obesity and diabetes are reaching almost epidemic proportions, it is essential that dentists and every other healthcare profession that comes in contact with the public, screen their patients for sleep apnea,” Dr. Laurence I. Barsh said in a recent interview.
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Tags: american, dental, dentist, obesity, Sleep Apnea, snoring