RSDM Offers New Sleep Apnea Treatment to Underserved Patients

Dr. Sowmya Ananthan holds a mouthpiece that can help sleep apnea patients.

It's estimate that 22 million Americans suffer from sleep apnea, which can cause high blood pressure, acid reflux disease and increase the risk stroke. But 80 percent of cases go undiagnosed. For lower income patients, lack of affordable healthcare makes it even harder to get properly diagnosed and treated.

“There’s a problem with access. We wanted to address that,’’ said Dr. Sowmya Ananthan, a faculty who treats patients at RSDM’s Center for Temporomandibular Disorders and Orofacial pain. She has also been involved in clinical research of obstructive sleep apnea.

Last year, RSDM began working with Horizon Medicaid HMO on a plan that will allow  coverage for a newer form of sleep apnea treatment. Patients who have healthy teeth and jaws can be fitted with a mandibular advancement device (MAD), similar to a retainer, which pulls the lower jaw forward so that the airway is cleared.

The MAD negates the need for a CPAP (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure), which requires patients to place an apparatus over the face during sleep. Many find it uncomfortable and don’t use it consistently.

Dentists can often detect symptoms of sleep apnea, such as teeth grinding, or a larger than usual tongue, which  can block air passages in the mouth. When RSDM providers suspect patients have the condition, they can refer them to the New Jersey Medical School’s sleep laboratory for a diagnosis. If they have sleep apnea, and their oral cavity and jaw are healthy enough to support a MAD, they can have one custom-made at RSDM.

The arrangement with Horizon will transform sleep apnea treatment in New Jersey, making it accessible for thousands of patients who otherwise wouldn’t receive care. “As far as I know, no one outside of RSDM offers this,’’ says Ananthan. “People from all over the state can come here.’’