Clinical approach for treatment modality of obstructive sleep apnea: focus on the role of dentists

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), most common respiratory disorder of sleep, is characterized by intermittent partial or complete occlusions of the upper airway due to loss of upper airway dilating muscle activity during sleep superimposed on a narrow upper airway. Termination of these events usually requires arousal from sleep and results in sleep fragmentation and hypoxemia, which leads to poor quality of sleep, excessive daytime sleepiness, reduced quality of life and numerous other serious health consequences Untreated OSAS can cause various problems such as hypertension, diabetes, stroke, cardiac disease, daytime sleepiness. Various treatments are available, including non-surgical treatment such as medication or modification of life style, surgical treatment, continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) and oral appliance (OA). Oral appliance is known to be effective in mild to moderate OSA, also genioglossus muscle advancement (GA) or maxillomandibluar advancement (MMA) is a good option for OSA patients with muscular or skeletal problems. Although the prevalence of OSA is increasing, the proportion of the patient treated by dentist is still very law. Dentists need to understand the mechanism of OSA and develop abilities to treat OSA patients with dental problems. The purpose of this paper is to give a brief overview about OSA and the dentist's role in OSA patients.