In this issue - The American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine

4
ISSUE 4 | 2013
President’s Message
B. Gail Demko, DMD
Diplomate, ABDSM
AADSM President
This final issue of Dialogue provides a unique vantage point that
allows us to look back on our organization’s history while also
looking forward to the opportunities that await
us. Established in 1991, the American Academy
of Dental Sleep Medicine is only a couple years
away from celebrating its silver anniversary as
the only non-profit professional society that is
dedicated exclusively to the practice of dental
sleep medicine.
The success of our organization can be
attributed in large part to the unwavering
dedication and commitment of those leaders
who have devoted their time and expertise to
the AADSM, including the gentlemen who
were our founding members: Rob Rogers,
Arthur Strauss, Peter George, Alan Lowe and
Mike Alvarez. The photo collage in this issue
gives a brief glimpse of some of the individuals
who have served the AADSM through the
years, and there are many more colleagues who
helped pave the way for us. I am indebted to
each AADSM president who came before me,
and I am grateful to everyone who currently
volunteers as an AADSM Board, task force or
committee member.
Certainly the success of the AADSM also can
be ascribed to the loyalty and devotion of our
membership. Today the AADSM has more
than 3,000 members, which must have been
unfathomable to our small group of founders
more than two decades ago. The truism that
there is strength in numbers is applicable to any
professional society, and it is particularly relevant to the AADSM,
which has led the way in gaining respect for oral appliance
therapy among both the dental and medical communities. While
a variety of pathways may lead us to an interest in dental sleep
medicine, we all share a passion for reducing the burden of
snoring and sleep apnea. It is important for us to remain united
through our AADSM membership as together we strive to
advance the dentist’s role in the treatment of sleep-disordered
breathing.
Earlier this year
the AADSM took
another important
step forward
to gain greater
recognition for
oral appliance
therapy by
developing an
empiric definition
of an effective
oral appliance for
the treatment of
sleep-disordered
breathing.
Earlier this year the AADSM took another important step
forward to gain greater recognition for oral appliance therapy by
developing an empiric definition of an effective oral appliance
for the treatment of sleep-disordered breathing. In February
2013 the AADSM brought together leaders in the profession for
a consensus conference to establish a standardized benchmark
for both research and clinical practice.
Sincerely,
I am pleased to announce that both the
definition of an effective oral appliance and
the comprehensive report that explains the
rationale behind it have been approved by the
AADSM Board of Directors and accepted
for publication in the inaugural issue of the
online Journal of Dental Sleep Medicine, which will
replace Dialogue as the official publication of the
AADSM in 2014. Members who would like to
preview these papers can visit the “Accepted
Papers” section of the JDSM website at www.
jdsm.org, where both manuscripts are available
for download.
I am excited about this significant development,
which is another landmark for our field. It is our
hope that this definition will foster consistency
in clinical practice, allow research results to
be compared more easily, provide guidance
for insurers, and serve as a guidepost for the
innovators who develop the next generation of
oral appliances.
These are exciting days for dentists who are
involved in treating sleep-disordered breathing,
and the future for the AADSM is bright. I
thank you for your support and involvement as
an AADSM member, and I look forward to all
that we will accomplish together in 2014.
B. Gail Demko, DMD, D. ABDSM