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Sleep Apnea Management for the Dentist

Course Number: 578

The Sleep Study Results

At the initial appointment with a sleep physician, he or she will conduct an interview and physical examination as needed. The PSG is usually performed on a later date. The PSG can determine if the patient is asleep, the time it takes to fall asleep (sleep latency), stage of sleep, total sleep time, sleep efficiency (total sleep time/ total time in bed), AHI score in addition to other variables. It may take several business days to receive the PSG results. A typical sleep study report may contain the following data:

Polysomnogram Report


Study date: 1/2/2019


History: The patient is a 44 year old male with a complaint of snoring, nasal congestion, witnessed apnea and daytime sleepiness (ESS=16/24). Past medical history significant for hypertension and retrognathia. Medications: lisinopril, multivitamin. Height: 70.00 inches; Weight: 185 lbs.


Technique: PSG recorded EEG, eye movement, chin EMG, airflow, microphone, chest & diaphragm excursion, leg EMG, ECG, body position and oxygen saturation. Lo-lux CCTV input was recorded digitally for later review.


Interpretation: The patient had a sleep efficiency of 72.0% and a sleep latency of 98 minutes. The overall AHI was 31.1 per hour. AHI was 37.5 in the supine position and 20.6 non-supine. The longest duration of a respiratory event was 47.0 seconds with an average of 13.9 seconds. Baseline oxygen saturation was 96% and reached a low of 88%. Tracheal microphone revealed frequent, moderate snoring. Frequent periodic leg movements were absent. ECG unremarkable.


Diagnosis: Severe obstructive sleep apnea