Dr. Anthony Scianni Returns to Screening Former NFL Players for Sleep Apnea

A brother’s death is what first pointed the Colts Neck, New Jersey dentist toward a disease he says remains undiagnosed in millions of people.

TAMPA, FL, UNITED STATES, September 22, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — Dr. Anthony Scianni, D.M.D., a Colts Neck, New Jersey dentist with 40 years in practice, is returning to work he first took on nearly a decade ago: screening former NFL players for obstructive sleep apnea. The renewed effort with the Pro Player Health Alliance comes weeks after Scianni launched his first podcast and stepped into public view for the first time, and it carries a personal history behind it that he is now speaking about publicly.

Scianni traces his focus on sleep apnea to a loss in his own family, a subject he has spoken about only rarely until now.

“Sleep apnea is extremely important to me because it hits very close to home,” Dr. Scianni said. “My brother passed away in 2000 at age 50. He was never tested for sleep apnea, so we’ll never know for certain, but I have long suspected that undiagnosed sleep apnea may have played a role.”

In his brother’s case, Scianni said, sleep apnea was never raised as a possible concern before his death in 2000. He said the experience is part of what first pointed him toward a connection between sleep and whole body health that was not yet widely recognized in dentistry.

That interest led him to a continuing education course on sleep apnea in Chicago, where he met one of his future partners, who was involved in a program screening and treating former NFL players. The two stayed in touch, and Scianni was later invited to meet the program’s other partners in person. He was selected by the Pro Player Health Alliance to treat former NFL players for obstructive sleep apnea and worked with players through the program for years across the country. He eventually became the organization’s Managing Director while continuing to participate in screenings. He stepped back from the screening work during the COVID-19 pandemic and said that work is now starting up again.

Scianni said the disease remains one of the most overlooked issues he sees among his own patients, with research suggesting that tens of millions of Americans with obstructive sleep apnea remain undiagnosed. He is careful to draw a clear line around his own role in it: obstructive sleep apnea is a medical not a dental diagnosis. What a dentist can do is recognize warning signs and symptoms, such as heavy snoring or a bed partner reporting pauses in breathing at night, and refer a patient for appropriate medical evaluation and sleep testing.
Obstructive sleep apnea is a medical condition, but for appropriate patients, dentistry can provide an effective treatment option.

ABOUT DR. ANTHONY SCIANNI, D.M.D.

Dr. Anthony Scianni, D.M.D., has practiced dentistry in New Jersey for 40 years and in Colts Neck since 1993. His clinical work spans general, cosmetic, restorative and implant dentistry, as well as the evaluation and management of TMJ disorders and facial pain, using technologies such as 3D imaging, digitally guided treatment and artificial intelligence. Through extensive continuing education and ongoing advanced study of sleep-disordered breathing, he has significant experience in dental sleep medicine and the dental management of obstructive sleep apnea, holding Diplomate status with the American Sleep and Breathing Academy and having served on the organization’s board. He is also Managing Director of the Pro Player Health Alliance, an organization dedicated to increasing awareness of obstructive sleep apnea and helping professional athletes access screening and treatment. Through that work, he has participated in sleep-apnea education, screening and treatment initiatives involving former NFL players and has personally treated numerous former NFL players and other professional athletes for obstructive sleep apnea. He earned his dental degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey and his undergraduate degree from Rutgers University. Dr. Anthony Scianni is represented by Moon Media Affairs.

ABOUT MOON MEDIA AFFAIRS

Moon Media Affairs is a Florida-based public relations and media agency specializing in strategic communications, brand positioning, media relations, and reputation management. The agency represents celebrities, influencers, entrepreneurs, executives, health and wellness leaders, and other high-profile individuals and brands. With a focus on finding the story, promoting the message, and protecting the reputation, Moon Media Affairs helps clients strengthen their public presence and navigate today’s fast-moving media landscape.

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