Clinic Expands Focus to Treat Children

Mitchell R. Levine, DMD, has been named director of the Dental Sleep Medicine Clinic in the College of Dentistry at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC).

Boards certified as an orthodontist and in dental sleep medicine, Dr. Levine plans to make the Dental Sleep Medicine Clinic a collaborative partner with other fields at the university and with clinical partners to treat sleep disorders and apnea in children and adults across the region.

The clinic focuses on oral device therapy for adults and orthodontic approaches with oral devices for children. In adults, these custom-fitted oral appliances hold the lower jaw in a slightly forward position preventing collapse of the airway. Worn during sleep, an oral appliance fits like a sports mouth guard or an orthodontic retainer. The patient is fitted with the device that best suits the mouth shape and the breathing issue. For children, orthodontics and jaw growth can be utilized to change the size, shape, and position of the jaw, resulting in better management of the breathing problem.

For children, sleep-breathing concerns center around the neurological, psychosocial, and decision-making development. Children with sleep-breathing problems are a new focus of the clinic. As a sleep-trained orthodontist, Dr. Levine is well-versed in treating children and will collaborate with physicians at Le Bonheur Children's Hospital to help manage these breathing problems, which may also affect quality of life and school performance.

The typical treatment options for obstructive sleep apnea in adults include CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) machines worn during sleep, surgical interventions to improve airflow, and less-invasive oral appliance therapy. In children, treatment options have included the removal of adenoids and tonsils if necessary.