Dental therapy for obstructive sleep apnea.

This article reviews the history of dental therapy as it has led up to currently available options for the treatment of sleep-related breathing disorders with an emphasis on oral appliance therapy. Over the last 20 years and in particular the last 5 to 7 years the contribution as well as the effectiveness of oral appliances has impacted the treatment of sleep apnea and at the same time provides an alternative for many patients. The focus here is to examine oral appliances and the role they have as it may be delivered by the dentist with an interest as well as the expertise in dental sleep medicine.