Children’s Airway – From Knowledge to Action
Steve Carstensen, DDS; Loria Nahatis, DDS; Lauren Ballinger, DDS; Kevin Boyd, DDS

Dr. Steve Carstensen, DDS, the leader of the ADA Children’s Airway Initiative, wants every dentist who sees kids or their parents to be aware of the critical need we have for screening littles and treating them as early as possible. The first sign of airway problems is the best time to do what we can to set the child’s healthspan on the right course.

AAPMD’s Endeavour Pediatric Section webinar will be a round table discussion by leaders in pediatric breathing services, key educators in our field (Drs. Carstensen, Nahatis, Ballinger, Boyd).  They will talk about why and how it’s critical to not only gain clinical skills but also to be able to communicate the urgency of care to families. This is the theme of the American Dental Association’s Children’s Airway Event in July, From Knowledge to Action.

Steve Carstensen, DDS; Fellow, Academy of General Dentistry; Fellow, American College of Dentistry; Fellow, International College of Dentistry; Diplomate, American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine. Dr. Carstensen has treated sleep apnea and snoring in Bellevue, WA since 1998. He’s the Consultant to the ADA for sleep-related breathing disorders and heads the ADA’s Children’s Airway Initiative. He trained at UCLA’s Mini-Residency in Dental Sleep Medicine and is a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine. He lectures internationally and directs sleep education at the Pankey Institute, in addition to advising several sleep-related manufacturers. In 2014 he helped found Dental Sleep Practice Magazine and currently serves as Chief Dental Editor. He has written chapters for several related textbooks. In 2019, A Clinician’s Handbook for Dental Sleep Medicine, written with a co-author, was released, with a second edition published by Quintessence in 2025. The AADSM awarded him the 2023 Distinguished Service Award. 

Loria Nahatis, DDS, is a board-certified pediatric dentist and co-founder of Beyond Pediatric Dentistry in Dallas, Texas. She is proud to give her young patients and their parents valuable tools that help not only with improving dental health but overall health and well-being with a collaborative approach to oral healthcare.

Lauren Ballinger, DDS, is a board-certified pediatric dentist in Western Massachusetts. She founded Good to Grow Airway Pediatric Dentistry and The Nurture Frenectomy Center, New England’s only pediatric dental practice fully dedicated to preventive orthodontics, oral function, and airway health.

Kevin Boyd, DDS, is a board-certified pediatric dentist with over 20 years’ experience delivering outstanding dental healthcare to infants, children, adolescents, and young adults with physical and/or mental disabilities, as well as other special needs. He also holds an advanced degree (M.Sc.) in Human Nutrition and Dietetics from Michigan State University where he participated in research projects related to unhealthy eating and how it contributes to tooth decay, obesity and Type 2 Diabetes.