WORKSHOP 2 – DECODING THE POLYSOMNOGRAPH REPORT FOR DENTISTS

Sleep Apnea is the most common sleep disorder. This is mainly characterized by repeated upper airway disturbances during sleep, which causes breathing to stop for some seconds, throughout the night. This interrupted breathing causes a significant drop in oxygen levels in the blood, resulting in an episode of Apnea.

The sleep study reports are typically arranged into sections containing patient information, which includes their sleep-related symptoms, the technical details, quantitative data regarding the distribution of different stages of sleep called sleep architecture and sleep staging. The technical details document the number of electroencephalographic (EEG), electro-oculogram, chin and leg electromyogram, electrocardiogram, and air flow at the nose and mouth. The chest and abdominal wall movements are recorded by plethysmographic strain belts. The oxygen saturation is sampled by continuous pulse oximetry and the snoring microphone is used for recording the snoring and its intensity. Multiple simultaneous parameters are recorded using an arrangement of wires and belts called a Montage. The indications for the study are recorded in the context of patient complaints, history, medical, psychosocial, and sleep-related problems as well as their medications. Each of these elements has a significant impact on the recording of the data and the interpretation of the sleep study.

Participants of this workshop will be detailed on how to read these studies from a dentist’s point of view.