A Wake-Up Call: What Every Dental and Medical Specialist Should Know About Sleep-Disordered Breathing from the Perspective of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy
Nicole Goldfarb, MA, CCC-SLP, COM

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), ranging from snoring to sleep apnea, affects a multitude of individuals of all ages, from infancy to adulthood.  Importantly, in many cases sleep-disordered breathing and clinical markers for poor orofacial growth actually begin in childhood and is undetected.  The negative ramifications of sleep-disordered breathing on health and development are profound, affecting nearly every cell in the body.  This lecture will introduce you to the role of orofacial myofunctional therapy in the management and treatment of sleep-disordered breathing through case studies and some of the most recent and riveting research around.  This lecture will open your mind to the fact that an orofacial myofunctional disorder is a clinical marker of sleep-disordered breathing, and soft tissue dysfunction can be a triggering factor for malocclusion and poor growth and functioning of the airway.  It is well known that orofacial myofunctional disorders coexist in a large population of people with sleep-disordered breathing and sleep apnea.  Thus, orofacial myofunctional therapy is an important and often necessary component in the treatment of SDB, and early identification and treatment of soft tissue dysfunction is paramount to success. The 3 systems and their reciprocal roles will be reviewed: Myofunctional System, Medical System, and Dental System.  This lecture will also emphasize the importance of early intervention in the management and prevention of sleep-disordered breathing and potential orthodontic comorbidities.

Nicole Goldfarb founded the San Diego Center For Speech & Myofunctional Therapy 20 years ago, and she has been practicing Speech-Language Pathology since 2003 and Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy since 2008.  Nicole holds the distinction of being one of only a few Certified Orofacial Myologists in all of San Diego County that also has a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology, an unparalleled combination of degrees which allows her to provide the most advanced and comprehensive treatment, as most patients with speech issues also have myofunctional issues. Nicole worked as a Speech-Language Pathologist in a school district for 7 years, servicing thousands of children with speech and orofacial disorders. She has a special passion and interest in sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and diagnosing restricted frenums as they relate to myofunctional disorders.  Nicole has presented internationally on myofunctional therapy as it relates to SDB in both children and adults. She is currently on the Child Airway Initiative Task Force (CAST), a national team of doctors, dentists, and orthodontists developing a universal screening tool for all dentists to use to screen patients for SDB as per the 10/2017 American Dental Association proposal that all dentists should screen all patients for SDB. Nicole is the host and developer of the audio and video podcast for Airway Circle Radio titled “Airway Answers: Expanding Your Breath of Knowledge”.  Nicole is also a Breathe Institute Ambassador, a Talk Toolsâ Education Partner, author of a 2023 article in Dental Sleep Practice Magazine “Why Every Dentist and Orthodontist Should Have an Orofacial Myofunctional Therapist on Their Team”, author of the Myofunctional Therapy chapter in an upcoming medical textbook with the editors Dr. David Gozal, MD, Dr. Bill Harrell, orthodontist, and Dr. David McIntosh ENT.  She is also currently on the faculty for ASAP (Airway, Sleep, and Pediatrics Pathway) and the Sleep Education Consortium. Nicole has received the Award For Continuing Education (ACE) through the American Speech-Language Pathology Association multiple times for her advanced number of professional development and trainings in the field of Speech-Language Pathology.  She currently serves as a mentor and consultant to patients, professionals, and colleagues internationally in the field of orofacial myofunctional therapy. Nicole’s life-long quest is to help in the early identification and treatment of sleep-disordered breathing and airway issues.

1 CE credit available to AAPMD members