CE Program - "Dentist's Role in Sleep-Disordered Breathing: Orthodontist Perspective" with Audrey Yoon, DDS, MSD

In-Person Continuing Education

Registration will open September 1, 2025

Description:

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) significantly impacts overall health and has garnered considerable attention over the past decade. Dentists play a crucial role in screening and managing this condition. This presentation by Dr. Audrey Yoon will highlight the dentist's role in addressing SDB, providing an overview from an orthodontist's perspective.

Dr. Yoon will briefly cover oral appliance therapy, including recent updates, and present clinical guidance on craniofacial growth patterns across different age groups for children, emphasizing the importance of timely intervention. Detailed insights into the phases of craniofacial growth and development will be provided, illustrating how therapeutic appliances can influence growth patterns. By tailoring strategies for each developmental stage, dental professionals can maximize treatment efficacy and promote healthy craniofacial development. Dr. Yoon will also showcase the most updated cutting-edge technology, such as the custom 3D miniscrew-assisted palatal expansion technique, which can alter craniofacial structures for patients of all ages.

Educating patients about the importance of addressing SDB and advocating for increased recognition of the dentist's role among healthcare providers and the general public is essential. This presentation aims to equip dentists with the knowledge and tools necessary to actively manage sleep-disordered breathing, emphasizing the importance of timely intervention and interdisciplinary collaboration to improve patient outcomes.

Objectives:

• Define the dentist’s role in identifying, screening, and co-managing patients with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB).
• Understand craniofacial growth stages and how early intervention can influence airway development.
• Integrate advanced therapies such as oral appliances and 3D miniscrew-assisted palatal expansion into clinical care.
• Encourage interdisciplinary collaboration and improve patient communication to enhance SDB outcomes.

Biography:

Dr. Audrey Yoon is a dual-trained orthodontist and pediatric dentist who specializes in sleep medicine. She is currently a Clinical Professor of Stanford Sleep Medicine Center at Stanford University and an Assistant Professor in Orthodontics at University of Pacific. She has established World Dentofacial Sleep Society and serves as a founding president. She founded Pacific Ortho-Dental Sleep Medicine Fellowship at University of Pacific and serves as a program director. She is a board of director at Edward H. Angle Society of Orthodontists, Northern California, a board of Director at California Sleep Society and International Board of Director at the Korean Association of Dental Sleep Medicine. She is also a diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine and a diplomate of the American Board of Orthodontics.  She completed her orthodontic and pediatric dentistry residencies at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). She first earned her Doctor of Dental Surgery at Seoul National University and earned her another Doctor of Dental Surgery and Master of Science degree, completing extensive research in Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) at UCLA. She practices the full scope of non-surgical and surgical orthodontics from pediatric to geriatric population for airway management including growth modification, pediatric palatal expansion, customized Miniscrew-Assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion (MARPE), Distraction Osteogenesis Maxillary Expansion (DOME), Orthodontic treatment for Maxillomandibular Advancement ( MMA ), clear aligner therapy and oral appliances for sleep apnea.