Valladolid successfully hosted the 5th Congress of the Spanish Society of Dental Sleep Medicine (SEMDeS), which brought together more than 200 professionals at the San Agustín Cultural Center from November 10 to 12.
The inauguration was carried out by the Dr. Silvia Fernandezgeneral director of Health Care of the Junta de Castilla y León, and was attended by the vice president of the National Council of Dentists, the Dr. Francisco Garcia Llorente; the president of the Autonomous Council of Dental Associations of Castilla y León, the Dr. Alejandro de Blas and the president of the Professional Union of Castilla y León, jesus eliz.
During the congress, chaired by Dr. Agustín Moreda, knowledge in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep was updated from different health points of view. Pulmonologists were involved, such as Dr. Félix del Campo, head of the Pneumology service and coordinator of the unit at the Río Hortega University Hospital in Valladolid, and Dr. Eva Arias, belonging to the sleep unit at Hospital 12 de Octubre in Madrid. Maxillofacial surgeons, such as Dr. Miguel Cantera, and otorhinolaryngology (ENT) specialists, such as Dr. Marina Carrasco, also participated.
Dr. Agustín Moreda, president of this congress, also explained that “the director of the Sleep Unit of the Río Hortega Hospital in Valladolid, Dr. Félix del Campo, spoke to us about the investigations that are being carried out for the diagnosis and treatment of this type of patients”.
For his part, Dr. José Ramón Alonso, professor at the University and the Institute of Neurosciences of Salamanca, carried out an exhibition on the relationship between Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OPS) and Alzheimer’s disease.
In the section on medical toilets, Dr. Liliana Estrada, president of the Latin American Sleep Association (ALADS) was present, with whom the Spanish Society of Dental Sleep Medicine signed a collaboration agreement.
Among the Dentists were Dr. Eduardo Anitua, Dr. Manuel Lagravère, from the University of Alberta, in Canada, and Dr. Susana Falardo, president of the European Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (EADSM).
Masterful exhibition by Dr. Anitua
Dr. Anitua closed the SEMDeS congress with a keynote address, focusing on research and application of the latest technological advancesfor example, of the different types of intraoral scanners and digital systems that exist to facilitate and improve Sleep Medicine. That is why he spoke about the entire set of upper airways, and his vision of how the present and future of Dental Sleep Medicine will develop in dentists’ offices.
Advances in the study of infant apnea
The Dr. Manuel Lagravèrespecialist in Orthodontics as well as a professor in Alberta
University, shared his latest research on childhood sleep apnea, its treatment, and its relationship to growth hormone in children.
“We see many cases where children are said to have Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), but in reality What happens to them is that they don’t sleep well. That is why they are exasperated, moody, do not pay attention, fall asleep in class… I am conducting research to see how our orthodontic dental treatments are changing the structure of the airways.”
“In children,” Lagravère continued, “the tonsils and adenoids, when they are hypertrophic, prevent the child from breathing well, something that ENTs treat, but there are also children who have a narrow palate for various reasons. When it is possible to widen the palatethe roof of the palatal vault that coincides with the floor of the nostrils and, then, more air enters and those children improve”.
“We are doing those treatments that are affecting the oral and nasal structure and this makes it change the posture of how children move or walkand it is being seen that it has very positive effects; They no longer snore, they no longer wake up, their school performance improves, they get better grades, they are more social…”
“We are also studying the relationship between pediatric patients who have apnea and their growth hormone levels, which are low. We are checking how after doing orthodontics to skeletally expand the maxilla, have changed their posture and way of breathing, and growth hormone has returned to normal valueswith normal growth”, explains Dr. Lagravère, who also gave a very interesting conference on Artificial Intelligence applied to Dental Sleep Medicine”, concluded the doctor.
Multidisciplinary round table
The highlight of the congress was the Multidisciplinary Round Table, moderated by Dr. Manuel Míguez, president of this company. During this knowledge sharing They tried to find meeting points through joint work between doctors and dentists, public and private healthto carry out interdisciplinary working groups, essential to improve the treatment of patients with these sleep pathologies.
It was also concluded about the importance of the training and certification of SEMDESFSMES to value the knowledge of the health workers who dedicate themselves to these patients. Each autonomous community is competent in its health area and it is the function of the members of society to try to create these multidisciplinary groups.
The Spanish Society of Dental Sleep Medicine (SEMDeS), attached to the General Council of Dentists, is open to all interested dentists, providing training and dissemination in this dental branch, which is essentially multidisciplinary.