- This event has passed.
OPTIMIZING AIRWAY VS THE STANDARD OF CARE – MUST WE CHOOSE?
WILLIAM HANG, DDS
October 27, 2021 @ 9:00 pm - 10:00 pm EDT
Ronald Harper, PhD, UCLA Neurobiologist, has MRIs documenting irreversible brain damage in children under age 6 with just one night of reduced oxygen saturation secondary to apneic events. The late Dr. Christian Guilleminault, former head of the Stanford U. Sleep Clinic and arguably the most published sleep doctor in the world, states that sleep/breathing problems must be treated as soon as they are recognized.
The American Association of Orthodontists recommends an orthodontic examination at age 7. A recent Journal of Clinical Orthodontics survey indicates that the grand majority of orthodontists don’t consider treating any child before age 6 when some permanent teeth are erupting. There seems to be a discrepancy! Do the AAO recommendations and JCO surveys really reflect that the Standard of Care in the community is to ignore sleep/breathing problems in children under age 6? This can’t be purposeful! Is it time to change the SOC? Shouldn’t we be treating patients who desperately need help to improve their airways no matter how young?
Dr. Bill Hang is a graduate of the University of Illinois College of Dentistry and the University of Minnesota Orthodontic program where he briefly taught orthodontics. He then established a very traditional orthodontic practice in rural Vermont. After about seven years he became dissatisfied with the faces the traditional orthodontic approach produced and embarked on a continuing education journey that is ongoing.
In the process he moved to Southern California and developed a truly unique orthodontic practice with strong emphasis on facial esthetics achieved with innovative early treatment and adult treatment, but also became aware of the significant positive affect some of his treatments were having on the airway. This opened up a whole new aspect of orthodontics – maximizing the airway for ALL orthodontic patients and specifically treating patients with sleep disordered breathing or obstructive sleep apnea.
1 CE credit available to AAPMD members