Australasian Dentist Issue 93

PRODUCTS 20 AUSTRALASIAN DENTIST Patients will love you.... GIN TONIC + PERSIMMON CURAPROX CURAPROX AUSTRALIA | www.curaprox.com.au | 08 7079 3779 Gin & Tonic banner.indd 1 8/02/2022 3:39:48 PM It is not the duration of sleep that defines its quality or efficiency. It is the integrity of the sleep process that will determine how a child will wake up in the morning. The same of course applies to adults. Under current regulations it is not possible to do any form of sleep study or evaluation for children under the age of 12 other than a formal PSG in a clinic or hospital situation. Home sleep studies are simply not suited to children because of the complexity of wires, belts, cables, electrodes and other factors which are subject to misplacement or dislodgement. The arrival of Sleep Image – a finger-ring device – which is US FDA and Australian TGA approved for use with both adults and children now changes this scenario. This service has been introduced by Roger Price – long known for his 25+ years of dedication to the integration of airway and dentistry – and the creator of the concept of Breathing Disordered Sleep rather than the accepted notion of Sleep Disordered Breathing. He maintains that no person who is a functional daytime breather will have any interruption to their breathing as a result of going to sleep. Therefore Sleep Disordered Breathing only applies to those people whose daytime breathing is already compromised. Sleep Image is based on the highly researched, tried and tested principle of CPC (Cardio-Pulmonary Coupling) – and there are many papers available confirming its accuracy in determining sleep quality. There are more ways than one to determine what happens during the various stages of sleep and just because one method has been deemed to be the gold standard doesn’t mean it is the best or most practical way. The reality is that many people categorically refuse to undergo the process of PSG or HST because it is simply not possible for such an evaluation to indicate a normal night’s sleep. The FNE (first night effect) is a well known phenomenon and few people are prepared to subject themselves to a two or three night study to be able to acquire relatively meaningful data. Sleep Image nullifies this problem to a great degree – and the protocol developed by Roger Price is to conduct three nights in a row. The first night will be to establish a baseline – taking into consideration the FNE. The second night can incorporate an intervention – such as a Myomunchee or Myobrace or other form of splint or oral appliance – to gauge its efficacy – and the third night could be another baseline or another intervention – such as sleeping with lips together – and/or positional change. The SQE (Sleep Quality Evaluation) is not a sleep study as described by Medicare – and as such does not qualify for reimbursement. It also does not require a GP referral or specialist’s report as it is not a diagnostic tool – rather a screening device to see if further investigation is warranted. A breakthrough in sleep evaluation for children There are no consumables required as it is simply a ring worn on a finger with the signal relayed to a smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth. The process is simple. A unique patient ID is created, the ring is provided to the patient/ parent with instructions for pairing to a smartphone or tablet and that is all that needs to be done. The patient wears the ring on an appropriate finger, the start button is pressed and in the morning the stop button is activated. The data will be uploaded to the Cloud immediately, checked, processed and a report created. This report will be available for downloading within hours can be saved electronically to the patient file and a PDF can be printed if required. The system is US HIPAA compliant. Roger Price will conduct Zoom training sessions to explain the various functions, options, reports and interpretations so that the clinician will be able to easily relate the output data to the relevant clinical findings and interventions. The other prime benefit is that the low cost and ease of use will allow for a follow up SQE after a period of intervention so that progress can be evaluated. It is usually very difficult to get a patient to agree to another night of discomfort and expense using current systems. This is truly a breakthrough in a critical area in which early detection and remediation is paramount in avoiding the onset of chronic dysfunction and disease. Provisional costing is between AU$250 to $300 for the three night study and reports. For further information contact: sleepimage@breathing-well.com