Treatment with Oral Appliances in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

What is it about?

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a disorder caused by a number of factors like an obstruction of the upper airway during sleep because of insufficient motor tone of the tongue and/or airway dilator muscles or inadequate growth of the maxillary jaw bone etc. Oral appliances (OAs) are commonly used as a non-invasive treatment for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. The primary oral appliance (OA) used in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) treatment is the mandibular advancement device (MAD). Tongue-retaining devices or tongue-stabilizing devices (TSDs) are a second type of OA, which displace the tongue anteriorly and may be customized or come in different stock sizes. This review article aims to examine the best in class on this particular subject of treatment of OSA with oral appliances, explaining acceptability of an appliance in patients on the basis of its construction and results, while providing enough cognizance regarding the diagnosis, management and causes of discontinuation.

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Photo by Diana Polekhina on Unsplash

Photo by Diana Polekhina on Unsplash

Why is it important?

What is obstructive sleep apnea? Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a disorder during which an individual frequently stops breathing during his or her sleep. It results from an obstruction of the upper airway during sleep that happens due to inadequate motor tone of the tongue and/or airway dilator muscles [1]. In addition to accelerated mortality, different negative health effects related to untreated OSA consist of cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular events, diabetes, and cognitive impairment. Additionally, OSA is negatively related to quality of lifestyles and definitely related to motor automobile accident injuries [2]. The field of orthodontia plays an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of sleep-disordered breathing syndromes. Oral appliances have been used to treat mild-to moderate obstructive sleep apnea [3].

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