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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Sleep Sci 2020; 13(03): 195-198
DOI: 10.5935/1984-0063.20190156
OVERVIEWS

COVID-19 and dental sleep medicine: risks, precautions and patient guidance

Thays Crosara Abrahão Cunha
1   Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Instituto de Biotecnologia - Uberlândia - Minas Gerais - Brazil.
,
Rowdley Rossi
2   Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Departamento de Pneumologia - Sao Paulo - Brazil.
,
Lilian Chrystiane Giannasi Marson
3   UNESP - SJC, Biociências - São José dos Campos - Sao Paulo - Brazil.
,
Thais M Guimaraes
4   UNIFESP - Escola Paulista de Medicina, Departamento de Psicobiologia - Sao Paulo - Brazil.
,
Marco Antônio Cardoso Machado
5   UNIFESP - Escola Paulista de Medicina, Departamento de Neurologia - Sao Paulo - Brazil.
,
Miguel Meira-e-Cruz
6   University of Lisbon, Sleep Unit - Cardiovascular Center - Lisbon - Portugal.
,
Otávio Ferraz
4   UNIFESP - Escola Paulista de Medicina, Departamento de Psicobiologia - Sao Paulo - Brazil.
,
Milton Maluly Filho
7   Instituto do Sono, Dentistry Division - Sao Paulo - Brazil.
,
Paulo Afonso Cunali
8   Hospital Marcelino Champagnat, Corpo Clínico - Curitiba - Paraná - Brazil.
,
Cauby Maia Chaves Júnior
9   Federal University of Ceará, Division of Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry - Fortaleza - Ceará - Brazil.
,
Cibele Dal-Fabbro
7   Instituto do Sono, Dentistry Division - Sao Paulo - Brazil.
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COVID-19 is the offcial name for the disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, which has become a pandemic, infecting more than 5 million people worldwide. Transmission occurs by inhaling droplets generated when an infected person coughs, sneezes or exhales, or by touching contaminated surfaces and then rubbing their hands over their eyes, nose or mouth. Some infected people become seriously ill, while others have no symptoms, but even though they are asymptomatic, they can still transmit the virus. As vaccines and effective medications do not yet exist, the only way to handle the devastating consequences of the pandemic is prevention. Quality of sleep is essential for the immune system to be prepared to receive, fight and restore itself after a viral infection. Therefore, patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) should continue treatment, and only suspend or change the therapeutic modality under the guidance of a sleep physician. In the era of COVID-19, due to the high probability of contamination promoted by CPAP, the mandibular repositioning device has been considered as the first choice for patients with OSA. However, as the dental approach is at high risk of contamination, due to the proximity of the dental surgeon to the patient, it is essential that the professional who works in this field knows the risks to which they are exposed. Precautions must be adopted and patients should be guided in order to control and use of their intraoral devices.

Sleep - Dentistry - Coronavirus Infections - Sleep Apnea - Obstructive


Publication History

Received: 29 May 2020

Accepted: 24 July 2020

Article published online:
09 November 2023

© 2023. Brazilian Sleep Association. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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