Learning Objectives: 

• Describe the relationship between oral function, breathing, sleep-disordered breathing, craniofacial development, and overall systemic health.  
• Recognize common clinical signs and symptoms of airway dysfunction during routine dental examinations.  
• Evaluate popular airway and sleep wellness trends—including mouth taping, sleep supplements, and consumer sleep technology—through an evidence-informed clinical lens.
• Incorporate practical airway screening and patient education strategies into everyday clinical practice while recognizing the role of interdisciplinary collaboration and appropriate referral in comprehensive airway management.

Airway health is having a moment. From mouth taping and sleep supplements to wearable sleep trackers and viral breathing “hacks,” patients are increasingly exposed to conversations about breathing and sleep long before they discuss these concerns with a healthcare professional. But airway dysfunction is more than mouth breathing, and the dental chair offers a unique opportunity to recognize the clinical clues that may be hiding in plain sight. This advanced course explores the relationship between breathing, sleep, oral function, craniofacial anatomy, and the clinical findings dental professionals encounter every day. Participants will learn to connect patient-reported symptoms with intraoral and extraoral findings, recognize patterns that may warrant further evaluation, and understand how airway dysfunction can intersect with oral health. The course will also examine the growing influence of social media and wellness trends on patient behavior, helping clinicians navigate conversations about popular airway and sleep practices through an evidence-informed lens. Through clinical examples, screening strategies, case discussions, and interdisciplinary care pathways, attendees will learn how to ask better questions, document relevant findings, educate patients, and make appropriate referrals while remaining within the dental professional’s scope of practice. Participants will leave prepared to look beyond mouth breathing and approach airway health as one component of comprehensive, whole-person dental care.