Women experience temporomandibular disorders, chronic fatigue, headaches, and sleep disturbances far more often than men—yet these symptoms are often treated in isolation. Emerging evidence reveals that many of these issues share a common thread: airway dysfunction. This course explores the intricate connections between women’s hormonal cycles, airway health, and cardiovascular risk, and how airway dentistry can uncover the hidden links that impact female patients across the lifespan. Attendees will examine how fluctuating estrogen levels, craniofacial development, and breathing patterns contribute to airway instability, inflammation, and systemic stress—factors closely tied to heart disease, the number one killer of women.
Through an airway-centered lens, participants will gain a deeper understanding of how dental evaluation and intervention can play a vital role in improving breathing, restoring balance, and supporting women’s long-term health and well-being.

Upon completion of this workshop, attendees should be able to:

• Recognize how hormonal influences, craniofacial structure, and airway dysfunction intersect to impact women’s systemic and cardiovascular health.

• Apply airway dentistry intervention strategies to identify and manage craniofacial risk factors that contribute to TMD, sleep-disordered breathing, and heart disease.

As a Scientific Advisor for the Kois Center, Dr Tracey Nguyen is a leading educator in airway management and cosmetic dentistry, dedicated to creating smiles that are both beautiful and functional. Recognized as one of the Top 25 Women in Dentistry by Dental Products Report in 2016, she is an Accredited Member of the American Academy of Cosmetic Dentistry, a Fellow of the AGD, and a Diplomate of the American Board of Dental Sleep Medicine.

Dr Nguyen maintains a private practice in Northern Virginia and serves as Visiting Faculty at Spear Education’s Airway Prosthodontic Workshop. She co-founded the Airway, Sleep and Pediatric Pathway (ASAP)—an online mini-residency in pediatric dental sleep medicine. 

With global speaking engagements, Dr Nguyen is part of the Seattle Study Club curriculum, sharing her expertise on dental interventions for airway and sleep-related disorders. Her mission is to unite healthcare professionals in understanding and managing the complexities of airway disease from childhood through adulthood.