Dental Sleep Medicine

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 Pre-recorded lectures are given by leading University of Michigan faculty and clinicians. The lecture material will be available online, accessible at the participant’s convenience. 
The in-person weekend-long sessions are devoted to clinical training and clinical demonstrations. Participants will learn, step-by-step, the dental sleep medical clinical practice procedures, using themselves as a patient in the process. These steps include:

• Screening for OSA and referring your patients to sleep clinics
• SOAP notes and comprehensive exam
• Selecting an oral appliance
• Intra-oral photography for dental sleep medicine
• Impressions and construction bite
• Working with a lab
• Device delivery
• Fabricating an AM Positioner
• Opportunity to test out an HSAT, personally
• Field trip to the University of Michigan Sleep Disorders Clinic
   

Review sessions are designed to cover the required readings as well as review course details in preparation for the board. These review sessions typically occur biweekly, lasting for 1 – 3 hours, depending upon the material. We attempt to select a time and day of the week that works best for most participants; however, the sessions are recorded and uploaded to the mini-residency site for viewing by participants at their convenience.

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Guided self-study includes taking quizzes for each lecture, reading the assigned literature, and completing clinical competencies on two sleep apnea patients from your own practice. 
The above course materials are divided into two sections, Mastery 1 and Mastery 2.
Mastery 1 examines fundamental concepts of sleep, sleep disorders, comprehensive examination skills, and practical techniques necessary to incorporate oral appliance therapy (OAT) into a general or specialty dental practice. Participants will learn the AADSM standards of practice necessary to perform patient screening, examination and record acquisition to begin treatment with competence and confidence. During the in-person session, participants will work on each other to obtain intra-oral photographs, impressions and a construction bite for an oral appliance. Breakout sessions will cover device design and selection, with demos on many different devices. The breakout session will help participants decide on a design for their own design, which will be delivered in the Mastery 2 in-person session. 
Successful graduates of Mastery 1 will take a quiz offered by the  AADSM that will provide them with “Qualified Dentist” status, a term recognized by the AADSM, by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and by many medical insurers. 
Mastery 1 must be entirely completed before a participant can begin Mastery 2
Mastery 2 builds on the knowledge and clinical proficiency gained in Mastery 1 with continued emphasis on skill development. In the clinical session, participants will deliver appliances to each other. They will gain clinical competence and confidence with delivery and titration methods. Lectures will develop a more in-depth understanding of normal sleep and the consequences of poor-quality sleep. Exploring alternative treatments such as surgery and CPAP will lay a foundation for guiding patient decision making and anticipating combining therapies for best outcomes.
Successful completion of both Mastery 1 and 2 are necessary for participants to be eligible to apply for the board offered by the ABDSM. Successfully passing the board exam allows a participant to become a diplomat of the ABDSM.

2026-2027 Mini-Residency in Dental Sleep Medicine

• Held at the newly-renovated University of Michigan School of Dentistry.
• Clinical instruction will occur in the School’s newly completed Advanced Clinical Education (ACE) facility. This facility consists of 20 semi-private dental chairs, providing hands-on opportunities to learn techniques for examinations, bite registration, digital and PVS impressions, fitting and adjusting of oral appliances and morning aligners and intra-oral photography.
• During in-person sessions, participants will work with a partner to complete clinical competencies and make a personal oral appliance.
• Representatives from dental laboratories and suppliers that specialize in dental sleep medical products will share products and services.
• Course participants will visit the Sleep Disorder Clinic to see how polysomnography studies are performed and have the opportunity to discuss sleep study details with a Registered Sleep Technologist.
• One of only three American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine accredited Mastery Program providers. Accredited program attendees are eligible to earn AADSM Qualified Dentist designation and can apply for the ABDSM certification exam.
• Program includes board reviews and study groups.

Mastery 1 consists of

• 31 on-line lectures and associated quizzes (quizzes contain content and style similar to questions that appear on the AADSM Qualified Dentist exam and the ABDSM board exam)
• 6 in-person lectures
• 4 clinical competencies
• Small-group case studies and device round tables
• 22 clinical science articles

Mastery 2 consists of

• 19 on-line lectures and associated quizzes (quizzes contain content and style similar to questions that appear on the AADSM Qualified Dentist exam and the ABDSM board exam)
• 2 in-person lectures
• 2 clinical competencies
• 19 clinical science articles
• Field trip to the University of Michigan Sleep Disorders Center
• HSAT demonstrations and the opportunity to try out an HSAT the night you are in town for the in-person session

Intersessions and post-sessions provide added value including

• Question and answer sessions
• Guest lectures addressing participant interests
• Board review
• Discussing clinical cases from participant’s home clinics

Mastery 1 and 2 will be presented as recorded lectures, assigned readings, demonstration videos, clinical-based training and competency assignments. Participants will have access to several live Q & A sessions and a digital Q & A discussion board.

• Required Textbook: ○ None
• Online Lectures 

○ On-line lectures will be set up through Canvas and available for 1 year to registered participants. On-line course materials will be presented in modules comprising 3-5 close-captioned video lectures. The lectures are typically 1-hr in length. Lectures are accompanied by brief quizzes or assignments to test your competency with the material. You must watch the videos and successfully pass the quizzes or complete accompanying assignments to pass the course. Asynchronous lectures are all pre-recorded to view at your convenience before, during and after the course.

Upon completion of Mastery Course I, attendees will be able to:

1. Develop a critical understanding of the physiology of healthy sleep and the pathophysiology of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and its relationship to clinical application.

2. Describe demographics, predisposing factors, signs and symptoms, and co-morbidities of SDB and various techniques to identify patients at risk.

3. Immediately establish an effective screening protocol and medical referral network with inner office systems to streamline and document referrals.

4. Identify patients at risk for SDB, perform a comprehensive examination and begin treatment with confidence.

5. Describe attributes and limitations of various device design features to aid in selection.

6. Develop an understanding of the medical practice model and medical insurance coding and billing requirements.

7. Prepare to incorporate accepted standards of dental sleep medicine practice into a general practice or specialty practice setting with appropriate patient flow algorithms, practice standard requirements, documentation, comprehensive examination records and bite acquisition.

Upon completion of Mastery Course II, attendees will be able to:

1. Describe co-morbidities of SDBs such as cardiovascular, metabolic and neurocognitive concerns.

2. Identify critical data of sleep studies including sleep architecture, respiratory parameters and influence on oral appliance success expectations.

3. Incorporate appropriate oral appliance delivery processes such as fitting for comfort, evaluation of midline, documentation and correspondence.

4. Prepare patients for oral appliance use and titration, monitoring signs, symptoms and side effects.

5. Anticipate and prepare to manage side effects that could compromise treatment objectives.

6. Develop further understanding of the medical practice model and medical insurance coding and billing requirements.

7. Explore alternative and emerging therapies for SDB.

8. Anticipate oral appliance efficacy for individual cases and consider combinations of therapies for best clinical outcomes.

9. Explain the etiology and prevalence of pediatric SDB, the differences with adult SDB and the efficacies of treatment options.

10. Incorporate pediatric screening and referral protocols.

11. Continue to build an understanding of the medical practice model and medical insurance coding and billing requirements.

12. Perfect an appropriate algorithm for patient management that begins with screening and ends with long-term follow-up.

Tuition: $10,000

The University of Michigan reserves the right to cancel a course and provide a full refund should conditions warrant. The refund will only include the cost of registration for the course.

You will have full access to the course for at least 1 year. In order to be eligible for the AADSM quiz after Mastery 1 and eligible for the ABDSM board exam after Mastery 2, all assignments must be completed according to the presented schedule.

Any opinion expressed or communicated regarding any product, device or appliance during this educational program is solely the opinion of the individual(s) expressing or communicating that opinion, and not that of the University of Michigan or AADSM. The University of Michigan and AADSM do not endorse, recommend or validate effectiveness of any products or services.

An inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 exists in any public place where people are present. Please make sure that you have reviewed any advisories or restrictions that may be in place for travel to the University of Michigan when in person sessions occur. By attending this course in-person, you voluntarily assume all risks related to exposure to COVID-19 and you are confirming that you do not have COVID-19 symptoms or recent exposure to someone with COVID-19.

Questions or concerns about participation in the Clinical Opportunities can be directed to Dr. Geoffrey Gerstner, University of Michigan Mini-Residency in Dental Sleep Medicine, Program Director, at [email protected].

No refund will be given if a participant is unable to attend Mastery 2 due to failure to complete Mastery 1 coursework by the above stated deadline.

An email confirmation will be sent after online registration is completed.

Clinic attire is appropriate for sessions held in the ACE clinic. For non-clinic sessions and the Celebratory Dinner, the dress code is business casual.