RELEASED: March 2002 WORD COUNT: 155 RUNNING TIME: 0:56

THIS IS A MINUTE ON THE FUTURE: A PROFILE OF TEACHING, RESEARCH, AND SERVICE AT CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY.

IF A LOVED ONE IS KEEPING YOU AWAKE AT NIGHT WITH SNORING, YOU MAY WANT TO LOOK AT THE SHAPE OF THEIR HEAD. MARK HANS OF THE CASE WESTERN RESERVE SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY SAYS HIS RESEARCH SHOWS INDIVIDUALS WITH ROUND HEADS ARE MORE LIKELY TO SNORE THAN THOSE WITH LONG HEADS AND THIN FACES. HANS STUDIED THE NOSE, TEETH, AIRWAYS, HEAD SHAPE AND BONE STRUCTURES OF SNORERS AND NON-SNORERS TO ESTABLISH A CRANIOFACIAL RISK INDEX. USING THE INDEX, HANS CORRECTLY IDENTIFIED SNORERS FROM THOSE WHO DO NOT, 75 PERCENT OF THE TIME. HE SAYS THE INDEX CAN HELP IDENTIFY AND TREAT OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA, A LEADING CAUSE OF SLEEP DEPRAVATION AND CARDIOVASCULAR PROBLEMS.

THIS HAS BEEN A MINUTE ON THE FUTURE; A PROFILE OF TEACHING, RESEARCH, AND SERVICE AT CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY. I'M TOM SHROUT.