Dr. Yoon's Journey with Dental Sleep Medicine

Dr. Audrey Yoon’s path into dental sleep medicine began more than 20 years ago, during her orthodontic residency at UCLA. At the time, she was introduced to the field through her clinical director, Dr. Eun Kwon Paik, and neurologist Dr. Ron Harper, who were studying the impact of sleep apnea on the brain. Their research showed that both sleep apnea and autism patients exhibited smaller cerebellum sizes on MRI scans—a finding that resonated deeply with Dr. Yoon, as her own nephew suffered from both conditions.

This early exposure sparked her curiosity and led her to pursue a master’s degree focused on sleep apnea research. Her work examined how low oxygen levels during sleep damaged the cerebellum in neonatal rat models, building her foundation in the basic science behind sleep-disordered breathing. Still, at that time, she had yet to connect this research to dentistry or orthodontics.

That connection came when she met two pioneers of sleep medicine: Dr. William Dement, known as the “father of sleep medicine,” and Dr. Christian Guilleminault, widely regarded as the founder of modern sleep apnea research. Both based at Stanford, the birthplace of sleep medicine, they left a lasting impression on Dr. Yoon. Dr. Dement’s groundbreaking discovery of REM sleep (a paper rejected five times before it was accepted) taught her resilience in the face of academic rejection. Dr. Guilleminault, or “CG” as he was affectionately known, coined critical terms like “obstructive sleep apnea syndrome” and “pediatric OSA,” recognizing the profound effects of poor sleep in both adults and children.

Years later, Dr. Yoon’s career took a defining turn when she experimented with early versions of palatal expansion devices. Her patients reported dramatic improvements in breathing and sleep, and when she shared these findings with Dr. Guilleminault, what was meant to be a short conversation turned into a five-hour brainstorming session. At the end, he told her, “Audrey, you need to show the world the possibilities.” Those words launched her international career in dental sleep medicine.

Since then, Dr. Yoon has dedicated her career to bridging dentistry and sleep medicine. She founded the Dental Sleep Medicine Specialty Clinics at Stanford University—the first of its kind despite Stanford having no dental school. The clinic quickly grew to a year-long waiting list, drawing fellows from one of the largest sleep medicine programs in the world. For many young physicians, rotating through her clinic is their first eye-opening experience in seeing the critical role dentistry plays in managing sleep disorders.

At the University of the Pacific, Dr. Yoon has also transformed education. She helped make sleep disorder screening mandatory for all new patients, integrated sleep medicine into the dental curriculum, and launched the world’s first Dental Sleep Medicine Fellowship exclusively for orthodontists. This unique program allows fellows to divide their time between Stanford and UOP, training in everything from oral appliance therapy to craniofacial development and sleep surgery.

Beyond academia, Dr. Yoon recognized the need for global collaboration and standardization in the field. She founded the World Dental Facial Sleep Society (WDFSS), a non-profit dedicated to advancing awareness, research, and international guidelines. Under her leadership, the society has hosted multiple global meetings, including joint events with the World Sleep Congress and collaborations with organizations in the U.S. and Japan.

Today, Dr. Audrey Yoon is recognized not only for her research and clinical expertise but also for her vision in building bridges between dentistry, medicine, and sleep science. Her journey, rooted in curiosity and shaped by mentorship, continues to inspire the next generation of clinicians to reimagine what’s possible when we treat sleep as the foundation of health.