The Barnes Group, a think tank of fourteen independent laboratories from across the US and Canada, will sponsor a four-day training session, March 30 to April 2, at D & S Dental Laboratory in Waunakee, WI.
In conjunction with this day devoted to raising awareness about the deadly symptoms of sleep apnea and the importance of treatment, The Barnes Group, a think tank of fourteen independent laboratories from across the US and Canada, will sponsor a four-day training session, March 30 to April 2, at D & S Dental Laboratory in Waunakee, WI. The group will work under the direction of Dr. Mark E. Abramson, of Stanford University, the developer and patent holder of the OASYS (the only FDA approved oral appliance which opens both lower and nasal airways) along with Dr. Jane Busch, technical director at D & S. They are preparing to launch a nationwide program for dentists and sleep physicians to educate them in the utilization of a simple test for the screening of each patient for the symptoms of OSA.
When an OSA sufferer experiences one of these episodes, it is as if they have had a seizure with no oxygen flowing to the brain for as much as 50 seconds. Some patients can suffer as many as 50 such life-threatening respiratory disturbance events per hour. Thirty to forty million Americans have undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a life-threatening condition that has been proven to contribute to three of the top four leading causes of death: heart disease, stroke and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
New treatment options
For years a device called CPAP (constant positive air pressure) has been the first line of treatment for those persons who have undergone sleep studies and been diagnosed with OSA. CPAP however cannot be tolerated by 60 to 70 percent of the sleep apnea patients compounding their risk for debilitating disease or death. Until recently, the only other alternative to CPAP has been major facial surgery. Therefore non-compliance in CPAP therapy is becoming a major concern for health professionals.
As a result of this need for a more effective treatment option, oral appliance therapy is quickly becoming the treatment of choice prescribed by dentists and sleep physicians for their patients with mild and moderate sleep apnea. In 2005, the Sleep Physicians Association recommended oral appliances as the first line of treatment, surpassing CPAP.
Once a patient has been diagnosed and fitted with an oral appliance, they should never be without a spare appliance. A new spare appliance called the Snuz 2™, available exclusively from The Barnes Group laboratories, will be used as a back up in the event that the patient loses or breaks the original appliance — because just one night without treatment can have deadly consequences. With the extreme need for diagnosis and treatment, oral appliance therapy can provide a cost-effective and user friendly alternative to CPAP. For more info: www.coachingforservice.com/news_events.html
Contact: Alan Barnes
Company Name: The Barnes Group/Coaching for Service, Inc.
Telephone Number: (248) 396-0095
Fax Number: (248) 889-2355
Email Address: alan @ coachingforservice.com
Web site address: www.coachingforservice.com/barnes_group.html
