APPNA Academy

Course Description:

This introductory course provides a high-level overview of Dental Sleep Medicine, focusing on the dentist’s role in identifying sleep-related breathing disorders, understanding Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), and collaborating in care for both adults and children. The course emphasizes awareness, screening, and interdisciplinary collaboration, with an introduction to treatment pathways including Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT), while remaining within appropriate professional scope.

Course Objective:

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

1. Recognize signs and risk factors for sleep-disordered breathing in adult and pediatric dental patients 
2. Understand the dentist’s role in screening and referral, and identify appropriate collaborative treatment pathways within an interdisciplinary model of care.

Mode of Delivery
2 hours of contact sessions through Zoom with the ability to view the content later online for self-paced learning. 

Course Duration: March 29, 2026  - April 26, 2026

Live Sessions Time: 9:00 AM  – 11: 00 AM US Eastern Time (6:00 PM - 8:00 PM Pakistan time)

Course Director: 

Shaista Rashid BDS, MS, MPH, 
Assistant Dean Clinical Affairs 
Missouri School of Dentistry and Oral health

Faculty: 

Nadia A Afzal, DMD, ABDSM
University of Utah, Faculty Speaker, Dental Sleep Medicine

Modules:

Lecture 1: Why Sleep Matters & the Dentist’s Role (March 29)
Dr. Shaista Rashid 

Lecture 2: Sleep, Airway & Obstructive Sleep Apnea (April 5)
Dr. Shaista Rashid 

Lecture 4:  Screening and Treatment of Sleep-Disordered Breathing Across the Lifespan (April  26)
Dr. Nadia A Afzal