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ePaper created 2014-12-05, 15:38:45 | version 1.33.01
I 03 editorial _ cone beam I cone beam4_2014 _It is that time of the year again: everyone is getting ready to close out 2014 and usher in the new year. It is always informative to review the events of the past year and to speculate on what the future will bring. The march of high tech- nologycontinueswiththevariousgadgetsthatappearjustintimeforholidaygifts.Themorehigh-tech,themoredesirable and sought after, and it appears that nothing is safe from the incorporation of digital data in some form. Whilenotentirelynew,theconceptofwearabletechnologyhasblossomedintoamultibillion-dollarindustryduringthe past few years.In fact,thereisan upcoming WearableTech Expo in New Yorkon 2–4 June2015.Dr Shawn DuBravac,Chief Economist and Senior Director of Research for the Consumer Electronics Association, has stated that we need to harness wearabledatabecause“theunionofwearabletechnologyandhealthcarehasthepotentialtoaddressthetrifectaofissues burdeningtheUShealthcaresystem:risingcosts,lackofcoordinationinprovidingcare,andtheincreaseinchronicdiseases tiedtolifestyle”.Wenowhavedigitalsmartbandsandwatches,likethesoon-to-be-releasedAppleWatchandtheSamsung Gear S, which can not only tell time, but also monitor your heart rate, count your steps, tell you how many floors you have climbed,anddetectchangesinelevationwhenlinkedtoyoursmartphone—allinthenameofkeepingusphysicallyfit. One area that is relevant to readers of cone beam international magazine of cone beam dentistry istheabilityofsmartbandstomeasuresleeppatterns.GadgetslikeSony’sSmartBand,MicrosoftBandandJawbone’sUP3 are selling worldwide, and some claim to be capable of distinguishing between REM, light and deep sleep. Chris Haslam of Wareable (www.wareable.com) states that “virtually every fitness tracker has the ability to map your shut-eye. They work bycontinuouslymonitoringyourmovementsduringsleep—knowninprofessionalsleepcirclesasActigraphy—andassess- ingsleep-wakecyclestoseewhetheryou’reindeeporlightsleep.”Thesedevicesalsoshowyouagraphofyoursleeppatterns onanapplicationonyoursmartphone.Thereareeventrackersthatcanuseyourphone’smicrophonetorecordsleepnoises, likesnoring,toexplainwhyyoumaywakeupseveraltimeseachnight.Hestatesthat“whilenotasaccurateasprofessional sleep monitoring equipment, or lab tests, fitness bands can help paint a clearer picture of your own sleep cycles.” Within the dentist’s scope of care is the potential to diagnose and treat patients who exhibit sleep problems and specifically sleep apnoea in its various forms. CBCT data as interpreted through sophisticated software applications may beourdigitallinktoaccuratediagnosisandtreatmentofthesesleepdisorders.Airwayanalysishasbecomeahottopicat CBCT-related symposia—which prompted the composite artwork for this issue’s cover. In a recent article, Alsufyani et al. conductedasystematicreviewoftheuseofCBCTtoassessupperairwaychangesandtreatmentoutcomesofobstructive sleep apnoea.1 The article concluded that “the available published studies show evidence of CBCT measured anatomic airway changes with surgery and dental appliance treatment for OSA. There is insufficient literature pertaining to the use of CBCT to assess treatment outcomes to reach a conclusion. High-quality evidence level studies, with statistically appropriate sample sizes and cross validated clinically, are needed to determine if CBCT airway dimensional changes aresuitableforassessmentoftreatmentoutcome.”Morestudyisneeded,ofcourse,butclearlyevidenceismountingthat CBCT will play a vital role in the assessment and treatment of sleep disorders. Perhaps we will soon be linking the digital data from wearable tech-savvy smart bands provided to our patients as we monitor the airway space with our CBCT data. Just another amazing link between the incredible data afforded to usthroughourCBCTdevicesandanotherpotentialmeanstohelpourpatients.Continuetowitnessourdigitalevolution that will affect our lives in 2015 and beyond by following the many informative articles contained within the covers of the latest issue of conebeaminternational magazine of cone beam dentistry. Respectfully, Dr Scott D. Ganz, Editor-in-Chief CBCT, smart bands and airway analysis Dr Scott D. Ganz _Reference: 1 Alsufyani,N.A.,Al-Saleh,M.A.Q.&MajorP.W., “CBCTassessmentofupperairwaychanges andtreatmentoutcomesofobstructivesleep apnoea:Asystematicreview”, SleepandBreathing,17/3(2013),911–23. CBE0414_03_Editorial 28.11.14 11:30 Seite 1 CBE0414_03_Editorial 28.11.1411:30 Seite 1