Connecting Heads

BSGDS Spring Conference, Marrakech 18 – 21 April 2015

April 24, 2015 at 2:56 pm Leave a comment

“Care, Competence and Continued Learning” is the mission statement of the British Society for General Dental Surgery. Founded over 30 years ago this society has organised speakers at the cutting edge of the profession. This conference was no exception and started with a presentation by member Dr Rash Patel who spoke about the Cone Beam CT (computerised tomography) scan technique. This gives exceptional information and is now accepted as a vital tool for implants and other advanced dental procedures.

On the second day Dr Derek Mahony gave his presentation on Obstructive Sleep Apnoea. He stressed that, as dentists, we are “Guardians of the Airway” and need to recognise the symptoms of sleep disorders in our patients. He routinely uses Cone Beam CT scans to evaluate the nasal & pharyngeal airways. Sleep disorders range from snoring to the most serious, OSA. He stated that mouth breathing in children is often overlooked and yet the lower oxygenation which ensues has now been linked with ADHD (Attention Deficit & Hyperactivity Disorder). Asthma is more common in mouth breathers. Simple appliances to develop the upper and lower jaw in growing children could bring about the change from mouth to nasal breathing. He emphasised the need for greater collaboration between dentists, general medical practitioners, ENT specialists and paediatricians.

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