Special Session III: Orthodontics for Sleep Disorder

Sleep Apnea and the Orthodontist

Juan Martin Palomo

Dr. Juan Martin Palomo is a tenured professor and the Orthodontic Residency Director at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. Dr. Palomo’s contributions to craniofacial imaging, informatics, and airway analysis have been recognized through medical and dental research awards, national and international presentations, and numerous peer-reviewed publications. He is a member of the AAO Committee on Conferences, AAO Council on Education, the Associate Editor for the Digital Orthodontics section of the AJODO, Associate Editor for the Sleep and Breathing Journal, the AAO representative for Image Gently, and the past chair of the AAO Committee on Technology. He was also a member of the AAO Task Force that provided a white paper on the orthodontist’s role in treating patients with Sleep Apnea. He is a board-certified orthodontist, an Angle Society member, and an active member of the American Association of Orthodontics, the American Academy of Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology, as well as the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
E-mail:palomo@case.edu

Lecture Description

Traditionally we are trained to see and analyze the airway from only the lateral view on a cephalometric film. However, the airway is a three-dimensional (3D) structure, and that third dimension may be hiding something relevant to our diagnosis. With more than 80 respiratory disorders, the orthodontist can play a big role in helping children and adults, especially regarding Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA). This presentation will show how the orthodontist can help identify and manage OSA in pediatric and adult patients, the difference between treatment and management, the potential effects of orthodontic treatment, and possible solutions. As healthcare providers, there is a lot more that we can do for our patients, but this does not mean that it needs to interfere with the efficiency and the practice flow already in place.