Comparison of two kinds of oral appliance in the treatment of mild or moderate obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome

Abstract

Objective To compare the mandibular advancement appliance(MAA) with mandibular advancement and left-leaning appliance (MALA) in the treatment of mild or moderate obstructive sleep ap-nea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS). Methods Twenty-two cases of mild or moderate OSAHS were treated with MAA, and 19 cases with MALA. After 1-3 months, they were examined again with Epworth score and polysonmography (PSG). Results After 1-3 months of the MAA or MALA treatment, the Epworth score was improved evidently. The apnea -hypopnea index, max apnea time, mean apnea time, oxygen desaturatian index, and the longest time of oxygen desaturation were all lowered after the treatment, and the lowest SaO2 and the mean SaO2 were higher after the treatment. The differences were all distinctive (P<0.05 or<0.01). When patients treated with MAA were compared with those treated with MALA,only the max apnea time [(35.5±6.9),(31.3±6.0) s, respectively] and the longest time of oxygen desaturation [ (41.0±18.9), (29.9±9.3) s, respectively] had significant difference. Conclusion MALA may be helpful for shortening max apnea time and the longest time of oxygen desaturation, thus MAA is an effective alternative to patients of OSAHS. Further research should be done. Key words: Sleep apnea, obstructive; Oral appliance