The Evolving Field of Dental Sleep Medicine.

Dental sleep medicine is a dynamic field focused on the relationship between oral health and sleep disorders, particularly sleep apnea. Dentists play a crucial role in diagnosing and treating sleep-related breathing issues. As awareness of the impact of sleep on overall health grows, the field is evolving rapidly with advancements in technology, diagnostic tools, and treatment modalities. Interdisciplinary collaboration between dentists, sleep physicians, and other health care professionals is becoming increasingly important. The integration of innovative approaches and a patient-centric focus make dental sleep medicine a pivotal player in addressing the complex interplay between oral health and sleep quality.

Legal Aspects in the Practice of Dental Sleep Medicine.

The provision of dental sleep medicine (DSM) has caused the rapid growth and expansion of an industry that includes health care providers, manufacturers, and retailers. Sleep is used as a vital sign by health care providers to screen and test for sleep disorders and to prevent future health issues, disease, and catastrophic events. Professional services and devices continue to be developed to enhance and foster better sleep hygiene and environment and to encourage improved sleep by building a comprehensive portfolio of sleep solutions, including DSM. However, the provision of DSM requires compliance with applicable state and federal regulations.

Global practice of sleep medicine: Iran.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In this study we aimed to conduct a comprehensive review of sleep medicine in Iran, focusing on the country's advancements, challenges, and the global context. METHODS: We conducted a comprehensive review of sleep medicine in Iran, using various sources to ensure a thorough analysis. The national educational curriculum for sleep medicine and guidelines on sleep clinics issued by Iran's Ministry of Health served as a foundational resource. Additionally, we gathered information from the Iranian Sleep Medicine Society website and relevant committee data sources. To enhance our understanding of the current research landscape, we performed a targeted search on PubMed using keywords related to sleep and Iran. RESULTS: The study presents a dynamic overview of sleep medicine in Iran, highlighting key advancements and challenges. Significant progress was observed in establishing standardized sleep medicine training and accredited sleep clinics. The Iranian Sleep Medicine Society plays a pivotal role in spearheading these developments, contributing to implementing regional guidelines for sleep tests. However, challenges such as a limited number of trained specialists, a scarcity of certified sleep clinics, and obstacles to accessing sleep disorder treatments were identified. CONCLUSIONS: We advocate for the implementation of increased research initiatives, nationwide education and screening programs, and proactive measures to strengthen the landscape of sleep and circadian medicine in the country. CITATION: Behkar A, Amirifard H, Samadi S, et al. Global practice of sleep medicine: Iran. J Clin Sleep Med. 2024;20(6):1009-1015.

Sleep Education: A Narrative Review on Barriers and Opportunities to Grow a Diverse Sleep Team.

The increased recognition of sleep-wake disorders and their effects, along with the anticipated shortage of sleep medicine specialists, heralds a concomitant need to have more health care providers with dedicated training in the evaluation and management of sleep disorders across the life span. A narrative review of published literature on sleep education was conducted and identified factors related to diversity within the sleep team, barriers to implementation of sleep education, and strides in sleep education. Implementation of novel sleep education strategies will require creative navigation of barriers such as allocation of curricular time, availability of teaching faculty, and funding to train more members of the sleep team. Deliberate coordination within and across health professions programs, with efforts to share resources and leverage technology, will be instrumental to guide the next phase of growth in sleep education.

From trenches to technology: a narrative review of sleep medicine in the military.

Diagnoses of military-relevant sleep disorders have increased substantially since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. The cause of this increase appears to be complicated and multifactorial, with military and civilian populations clearly differing with respect to both the nature and distribution of sleep disorders diagnoses. In part, these differences may be attributable to the fact that a majority of service members are chronically sleep-restricted-an unavoidable consequence of continuous and sustained military operations that "set the stage" for development of specific sleep disorders. The purpose of this narrative review is to describe the military relevance of several common sleep disorders, assess the extent to which these disorders currently constitute a burden on the military health care system, and suggest strategies to alleviate that burden. The military health care system does not have enough sleep medicine providers to address the immediate and long-term consequences of sleep disorders in military personnel. Digital technologies and education packages can be leveraged to improve access to care. CITATION: Thomas CL, Carr K, Yang F, et al. From trenches to technology: a narrative review of sleep medicine in the military. J Clin Sleep Med. 2024;20(6):973-981.

[Guideline for the Standardized Construction of Sleep Medicine Centers in China: Undertaking the Mission of Medicine of the Era and Caring for People's Sleep Health].

Humans spend one third of their life sleeping. Sleep, a vital life process, is an essential part of human health. In response to people's growing needs concerning sleep health, sleep medicine was born and is growing rapidly, and there is also an upsurge in the construction of sleep medicine centers in China and other countries. Unfortunately, there are no Chinese standards available for the construction of sleep medicine centers and the sleep medicine centers already constructed are of varied quality. In view of this academic problem, Professor Lu Lin, an academician of Chinese Academy of Sciences and the president of Peking University Sixth Hospital, organized Chinese experts with outstanding achievements in the field of sleep medicine to draft "Guideline for the Standardized Construction of Sleep Medicine Centers in China". This guideline mainly introduces the overall status of standardized construction of sleep medicine centers and the status of the construction of specialized sleep medicine centers in China, aiming to guide the construction of high-quality and high-standard sleep medicine centers in China, to promote the development of sleep medicine, and to safeguard people's sleep health.

Quality measures for the care of adult patients with obstructive sleep apnea: 2022 update after measure maintenance.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) remains a highly prevalent disorder that can lead to multiple adverse outcomes when undiagnosed and/or when left untreated. There continue to be gaps and variations in the provision of care for the adult patient population with OSA, which emphasizes the importance of the measure maintenance initiative for The Quality Measures for the Care of Adult Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea (originally developed in 2015). The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) convened the Quality Measures Task Force in 2018 to review the current medical literature, other existing quality measures focused on the same patient population, and any performance data or data in the medical literature that show gaps or variations in care, to inform potential revisions to the quality measure set. These revised quality measures will be implemented in the AASM Sleep Clinical Data Registry (Sleep CDR) to capture performance data and encourage continuous improvement in outcomes associated with diagnosing and managing OSA in the adult population. CITATION: Lloyd R, Morgenthaler TI, Donald R, et al. Quality measures for the care of adult patients with obstructive sleep apnea: 2022 update after measure maintenance. J Clin Sleep Med. 2022;18(11):2673-2680.

Mobile phone sleep self-management applications for early start shift workers: A scoping review of the literature.

Poor sleep has significant impacts on both mental and physical well-being. This is especially the case for shift workers who rely on good sleep practices to manage the disruption caused by their working conditions. In recent years there has been a proliferation of sleep-focused mobile phone applications, some of which may be suitable for use by shift workers. There is limited evidence however, on whether these applications are sufficient in managing the sleep needs of the early start shift working population (i.e., those whose work schedules begin pre-dawn). This scoping review aims to identify and discuss peer-reviewed literature on mobile sleep applications used by early start shift workers for sleep-self management. Four databases (Scopus, EBSCOhost, CINAHL and PsycInfo) were searched for relevant literature using a pre-determined search string. The initial search using the term early start shift work returned no papers, however a broadened search on shift work in general found 945 papers for title and abstract screening, of which 21 were deemed eligible for full text screening. Two of these papers met the inclusion criteria for this review. The results highlight, firstly, the paucity of research on the use of mobile phone applications for sleep self-management amongst early start shift workers, and secondly, the need for further research on the effectiveness of mobile applications for sleep self-management amongst shift workers in general. A working definition of early start shift work that can be used to stimulate research in this understudied population of shift workers is also proposed.

Enhancing Recruitment and Retention of Minority Populations for Clinical Research in Pulmonary, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine: An Official American Thoracic Society Research Statement.

Background: Well-designed clinical research needs to obtain information that is applicable to the general population. However, most current studies fail to include substantial cohorts of racial/ethnic minority populations. Such underrepresentation may lead to delayed diagnosis or misdiagnosis of disease, wide application of approved interventions without appropriate knowledge of their usefulness in certain populations, and development of recommendations that are not broadly applicable.Goals: To develop best practices for recruitment and retention of racial/ethnic minorities for clinical research in pulmonary, critical care, and sleep medicine.Methods: The American Thoracic Society convened a workshop in May of 2019. This included an international interprofessional group from academia, industry, the NIH, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, with expertise ranging from clinical and biomedical research to community-based participatory research methods and patient advocacy. Workshop participants addressed historical and current mistrust of scientific research, systemic bias, and social and structural barriers to minority participation in clinical research. A literature search of PubMed and Google Scholar was performed to support conclusions. The search was not a systematic review of the literature.Results: Barriers at the individual, interpersonal, institutional, and federal/policy levels were identified as limiting to minority participation in clinical research. Through the use of a multilevel framework, workshop participants proposed evidence-based solutions to the identified barriers.Conclusions: To date, minority participation in clinical research is not representative of the U.S. and global populations. This American Thoracic Society research statement identifies potential evidence-based solutions by applying a multilevel framework that is anchored in community engagement methods and patient advocacy.

Prolonged Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Sleep Medicine Services-Longitudinal Data from the Swedish Sleep Apnea Registry.

The worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has affected the operation of health care systems. The direct impact of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on COVID-19 infection outcome remains to be elucidated. However, the coincidence of common risk factors for OSA and severe COVID-19 suggests that patients with OSA receiving positive airway pressure therapy may have an advantage relative to those untreated when confronted with a COVID-19 infection. The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has led to a substantial reduction of sleep medicine services, and the long-term consequences may be considerable. New strategies for the management of sleep disorders are needed to overcome the current underdiagnosis and delay of treatment.

New Trends and New Technologies in Sleep Medicine: Expanding Accessibility.

New trends in sleep medicine make use of the increased computational power of digital transformation. A current trend toward fewer sensors on the body of the sleeper and to more data processing from derived signals is observed. Telemedicine technologies are used for data transmission and for better patient management in terms of diagnosis and in terms of treatment of chronic conditions.