Presented by: Mike Czubiak, DDS
Original Lecture/ Publication Date: July 15, 2026 (Webinar Series)
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Course Description:
Mouth breathing and sleep-disordered breathing (particularly OSA) are under-recognized, modifiable risk factors for periodontal disease. Clinical studies show that measurable increases in periodontitis risk are tied to poor sleep duration, poor sleep quality, and OSA severity. This presentation covers how to clinically identify mouth breathers and screen for OSA, as well as practical interventions, including nasal-breathing techniques, antioxidant adjuncts, and a call for bidirectional referral between dental and sleep medicine providers.
Learning Objectives:
- Explain the mechanistic pathways through which mouth breathing and obstructive sleep apnea contribute to periodontal disease.
- Recognize clinical signs of mouth breathing and screen patients for OSA risk.
- Understand the evidence linking sleep duration, sleep quality, and OSA severity to periodontitis risk.
- Apply an airway-centric, integrated approach to patient care, incorporating nasal-breathing strategies, antioxidant adjunctive therapies, and bidirectional referral between periodontal and sleep medicine providers.
Practical Applications:
- Incorporate screening for mouth breathing and obstructive sleep apnea risk into routine periodontal examinations to identify patients with modifiable risk factors for periodontal disease.
- Educate patients on the relationship between breathing patterns, sleep quality, and periodontal health while recommending evidence-based nasal breathing strategies and appropriate adjunctive therapies.
- Develop collaborative referral pathways with sleep medicine providers to support comprehensive management of patients with periodontal disease and suspected sleep-disordered breathing.
Speaker Bio:
Dr. Mike is a general dentist, author, podcaster, and dental speaker from Southern California. He speaks his passions: mouth/body connection, sleep/breathing, and leadership. All of the areas that he has found necessary in order to build a complete health practice that focuses on the mouth-body connection in order to mitigate the health risks that plague so many people.