Pediatric Dental Sleep Medicine Symposium: An Interdisciplinary Team Approach

Obstructive sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is increasingly recognized as a chronic dysfunctional breathing disorder during sleep, ranging in severity from habitual snoring to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). SDB can result in adverse neurocognitive consequences resulting from sleep fragmentation and intermittent hyposemia, which can subsequently lead to learning difficulties, hyperactivity and ADHD, poor attention span, poor academic performances, bed-wetting, and excessive daytime sleepiness, as well as behavioral, mood and anxiety disorders.

SDB can also cause adverse craniofacial maldevelopment and abnormal breathing patterns if left undiagnosed and or untreated. Despite these alarming facts, research has shown that children are suboptimally screened for SDB in their routine physical and dental check-ups, making it difficult to initiate the early intervention strategies necessary to improve children's overall quality of life and learning whilst preventing the development of significant and lasting morbidity.

Designed to bring awareness to these findings, this one-of-a-kind symposium will help dentists and other sleep specialists understand the basics of normal sleep maturation, respiratory physiology, and craniofacial development throughout childhood. Participants will gain insight into the various sleep disorders, as well as into recent research and technologies being developed for the evaluation and treatment of SDB in children. Additionally, participants will also come to understand that the optimum management of SDB in children involves a multidisciplinary team, and will hear from speakers with dental, medical and surgical backgrounds in order to understand the principles of management through a series of lectures, case studies, and discussion sessions.

UMAKANTH KATWA, M.D., Physician in Pediatric Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine at Boston Children's Hospital. He is also the Director of Sleep Laboratories, Co-Director of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia Program, and Co-Director for Program for Sleep Apnea and Sleep Surgery, a multidisciplinary collaboration with Pulmonary-Sleep Medicine, Otolaryngology and Pediatric Dentistry aimed at managing complex or residual obstructive sleep apnea in children. He is the faculty at the Harvard Medical School. He is actively involved in training residents and fellows in sleep medicine and teaching pediatric sleep medicine in major sleep conference in USA and abroad. He has been voted by his peers as the Top Doctors 2017 which was published in Boston Magazine.

LEOPOLDO P. CORREA, B.D.S., M.S., is an Associate Professor, Division Head of Dental Sleep Medicine, and Director of Dental Sleep Medicine Fellowship Program at Tufts University School of Dental Medicine in Boston Massachusetts.  He is diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine, received his Master Degree in orofacial pain and temporomandibular disorders at Tufts University where he has treated sleep apnea and TMD patients for over 15 years. Dr. Correa teaches Dental Sleep Medicine into the pre and postgraduate programs at Tufts University, and also participate as speaker in national and international seminars.

Additional Speakers

 STANLEY LIU, M.D., D.D.S., is an Assistant Professor of Otolaryngology in the Division of Sleep Surgery, and serves as co-director of the Stanford Sleep Surgery Fellowship. He is a committee member of sleep medicine in the American Academy of Otolaryngology. He currently serves on an expert task force directed by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) to update surgical guidelines for adult obstructive sleep apnea.

AUDREY YOON, D.D.S., M.S. Dr. Yoon's field of expertise includes the effective utilization of orthodontic Temporary Anchorage Device (TAD) to minimize orthognathic surgery and maximize esthetic successful outcomes. Dr. Yoon is a collaborative team member of the Stanford Medical Center sleep apnea research and has developed pioneering distraction osteogenesis maxillary expansion (DOME) technique for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.

GI SOO LEE, M.D., Dr. Lee's linical and research interests revolve around pediatric otology and the surgical management of obstructive sleep apnea. Dr. Lee is the co-director of the multidisciplinary Program for Sleep Apnea and Sleep Surgery, a collaboration with Pulmonary Sleep Medicine and Pediatric Dentistry aimed at managing complex or residual obstructive sleep apnea. He also directs the Osseo-integrated (Bone-anchored) Hearing Aid program. Currently he is participating in several research projects focused on these topics. Additionally, Dr. Lee has an academic focus in medical education. After his Pediatric Otolaryngology fellowship, he completed a Master's program at the Harvard Graduate School of Education (2010) with a focus on teaching methodology and curriculum development.

ANDREW SCOTT, MD, Medical Director, Cleft Lip and Palate Program; Pediatric Otolaryngologist at Tufts Medical Center; Assistant Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Andrew is a Pediatric Otolaryngologist and Pediatric Facial Plastic Surgeon at Tufts Medical Center. He is an assistant professor Tufts University School of Medicine. Dr. Scott is one of the only surgeons in New England who performs Neonatal Mandibular Distraction Osteogenesis, a surgical procedure to correct micrognathia, a birth defect which prevents babies from eating and breathing normally. He is also an active member of the American Cleft Palate/Craniofacial Association, the American Academy of Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery, and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons. He is board certified in Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery.

MELIH MOTRO, DDS, PhD, received his Dental and Orhodontic degrees from Marmara University in Turkey. He is a Clinical Associate Professor and the Director of Research at Boston University Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics since 2014. One of his major areas of research focuses on the effects of Orthodontic treatment on sleep related breathing disorders especially in children and adolescents. He has published several articles in peer reviewed journals on this subject and has given many lectures in both national and international conferences.

GOLI PARSI, DDS, DScD, earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree in 2006 from University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in San Francisco, CA. She completed her residency in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics at Boston University where she currently serves as a Clinical Assistant Professor and is actively involved in research in sleep dental medicine. She is board certified as a Diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics and maintains private practice in greater Boston area.

ESTHER BIANCHINI, SLP, PhD, Speech and Language Pathologist (SLP); Expert in Orofacial Motricity and Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy; Master in Communication Disorders (PUC-SP); Ph.D. Doctorate in Science: Experimental Physiopathology at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo (FMUSP); Accredited in Sleep Medicine by the Brazilian Society of Sleep (ABSono - Brazil). Currently she is a Professor at the Post Graduation Program in SLP (Strictu Sensu) at Pontifical University Catholic of São Paulo (PUC-SP); Coordinator of the SLP Commission of the Brazilian Society of Sleep (ABSono board member). She directs a SLP Rehabilitation Clinic in São Paulo, Brazil. Her major interests are diagnosis and rehabilitation procedures regarding breathing and swallowing disturbances, dentofacial deformities, orthognathic surgery, obstructive sleep apnea, and temporomandibular disorders. Dr. Bianchini guides several researches on these subjects and has authored many scientific articles, books, and book chapters. She has lectured extensively nationally and internationally.