AAOSH Accelerate 2026 speaker:
mike czubiak, dds
Dr. Mike Czubiak’s lecture, “Demystifying the Implementation of Sleep Dentistry,” will help dental professionals confidently integrate airway and sleep health into their practices. Attendees will explore practical screening strategies, treatment options, and interdisciplinary approaches to addressing sleep-disordered breathing, leaving with a step-by-step plan to begin improving patient care.
A general dentist, author, and podcaster, Dr. Mike has spent decades transforming his practice from simply treating symptoms to addressing the root causes of disease. After discovering AAOSH, he embraced a whole-health approach and founded several organizations, including the Sleep and Breathing Institute. Through his clinical experience, leadership, and engaging podcasts, Dr. Mike is passionate about helping dental professionals connect oral health with overall wellness.
About the lecture
Title: "Demystifying the Implementation of Sleep Dentistry. "
Description:
Sleep-disordered breathing affects an estimated 936 million adults and 1–4% of children worldwide, and most cases go undiagnosed. General dentists see patients regularly and often spot the warning signs first. This lecture presents a three-level framework for integrating airway, sleep, and craniofacial care into general practice: screen and refer; screen and improve symptoms with oral appliance therapy; and screen and address root causes through myofunctional therapy, maxillary expansion, and surgical options with an interdisciplinary team. For each level, it reviews training, team roles, and evidence strength. Participants leave with a staged plan to begin screening immediately.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify the clinical signs and validated questionnaires used to screen children and adults for sleep-disordered breathing during a routine dental visit.
- Compare the three levels of integration and the strength of evidence behind oral appliance therapy, myofunctional therapy, expansion, and surgical options.
- Explain how nasal breathing, tongue posture, and maxillary development interact to affect the airway and craniofacial growth.
- Develop a staged plan to add airway care to their practice, including team roles, a referral network, documentation, and outcome tracking.
Practical Applications:
- Add airway screening to every hygiene visit by using validated questionnaires.
- Build a referral network and track every referral to completion.
- Choose your level of involvement deliberately and measure your outcomes.
Speaker Bio:
Dr. Mike Czubiak is a general dentist, author, and podcaster. He graduated from UCLA in 1984 with a BS in Psychobiology and then continued to the UCLA School of Dentistry, where he graduated in 1988. He moved to Camarillo, California, in 1989 to start his practice, and after decades of just "fixing things," he got introduced to AAOSH. The practice started focusing on root causes, and a complete health practice was born.
He founded Camarillo Smiles, the California Academy of Dental Assisting, Lotus Leadership for Dentists, the Nano Podcast Alliance, Nanoverse Media, and the Sleep and Breathing Institute. He wrote the book Hygiene Superstar to illuminate the connection between oral and overall health. He loves talking about inflammation reduction, airway, culture, and leadership. He can be heard hosting 3 podcasts– Uncomfortable Dental Conversations, Hygiene Superstar, and the Camarillo Smiles Dental Podcast.
When Dr. Mike doesn’t have a microphone in front of him, he enjoys his three kids with his wife, Mindy. Together, they love to play tennis, hike, camp, scuba dive, snowboard, travel, and do just about anything that involves the arts. He continues to play in a band, write books, make short films, take photographs, and be creative.