HOME SLEEP TESTING & DENTISTRY
HOME SLEEP TESTING & DENTISTRY
THE GREAT DIVIDE
TURF WAR: WHAT IS IT GOOD FOR?
ABSOLUTELY NOTHING!
Elias Kalantzis
“Sleep Medicine belongs
to those who practice
it.” - Dr. William Charles
Dement
Does anyone “really”
believe that dentists aim
to rival physicians when it
comes to helping patients
with Sleep Related
Breathing Disorders
(SRBD)? Let’s take a step
back and look at the
definition of the term
“Turf War” defined as
“an acrimonious dispute
between rival groups over
territory or a particular
sphere of influence.”
Unfortunately this term
seems apropos regarding
the current debate
centered on Home Sleep
Testing (HST).
How did we get here?
1. What forces are
involved?
2. What do they have to
gain (or lose)?
3. What impact does
this have on the Dental
Sleep Medicine (DSM)
industry and the patients
we all have the honor of
serving?
Within the last year the
American Academy of
Sleep Medicine (AASM)
ended its decades-long
“consulting” relationship
with the American
Academy of Dental Sleep
Medicine (AADSM). Shortly
afterward, the AASM
sent correspondence to
the American Medical
Association (AMA) and all
50 state medical boards.
The announcement
included the following
language, “…defend the
scope of practice of
physicians and advanced
care providers who
manage patients with
obstructive sleep apnea
from encroachment
by dentists and other
practitioners, who are
not trained or qualified
to diagnose a medical
disease.”