Book Synopsis | Jaws: The Story of a Hidden Epidemic

There is a serious hidden epidemic that the public health community is just discovering. Its most obvious symptom is the growing frequency of children with crooked teeth wearing braces. But it also includes snoring, jaws hanging open, frequent stuffy noses, attention and behavioral problems, unrecognized disturbed sleeping (sleep apnea), and a general decline of physical appearance.

These symptoms indicate a building medical emergency that will likely catapult dentists, orthodontists and sleep scientists into the front line of public health professionals. The emergency lies in the collection of serious diseases connected with mouth breathing and disturbed sleep, including heart disease, cancer, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), depression, schizophrenia, suicide, asthma, and perhaps Alzheimer’s disease.