Abstract
Background: Majority of the elderly people complain of difficulty in sleeping. Although the causes for the sleep disturbances may be multifactorial in nature, the sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is one of the primary disorder. The study was undertaken to study the effect of complete denture rehabilitation which could have profound impact on rehabilitation protocol on complete edentulous patients. Aim: The aim of this study is to cephalometrically evaluate the effect of complete denture rehabilitation on upper airway dimensions and position of hyoid bone and also to examine if complete denture rehabilitation influences oxygen saturation and degree of sleepiness by overcoming upper airway collapsibility. Material and Method: Of 30 edentulous patients who complained of snoring during sleep were selected for the study. The baseline lateral cephalogram of all the patients were taken by asking the patient to attain the natural head position. MAS (Minimal Airway Space), PAS (Posterior Airway Space), SAS (Superior Airway Space), MP-H (Perpendicular distance from hyoid bone to mandibular plane) were also recorded. The patients were also subjected to pulse oximetry test to assess the oxygen saturation and ESS (Epworth Sleepiness Scale) to assess the day time sleepiness. All these subjects were rehabilitated using conventional complete denture fabricated using standard prosthodontic protocol and after 6 weeks to 8 weeks they were subjected to same tests again with dentures in situ. Results: The results of this study showed no statistically significant difference on minimal airway space (MAS), posterior airway space (PAS), superior airway space (SAS), perpendicular distance from hyoid bone to mandibular plane (MP-H), epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) and oxygen saturation. Conclusion: Wearing the complete denture during night does not improve the airway space, oxygen saturation and day time sleepiness significantly among edentulous patients.
Highlights
Disturbed sleep is a common source of disgruntlement among elderly people
The results of this study showed no statistically significant difference on minimal airway space (MAS), posterior airway space (PAS), superior airway space (SAS), perpendicular distance from hyoid bone to mandibular plane (MP-H), epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) and oxygen saturation
Many authors in 1970 delineated the causes of upper airway sleep disorders and in 1980 they described the oral appliances as pivotal treatment modality
Summary
Disturbed sleep is a common source of disgruntlement among elderly people. It is estimated that up to 50% of elderly adults complain of difficulty in sleeping, further aggravating the risks of morbidity in the ageing population [1]. It has been described that 43% of those over the age of 65 have difficulty in the onset and maintenance of sleep, while 25% report daily drowsiness [2]. Many authors in 1970 delineated the causes of upper airway sleep disorders and in 1980 they described the oral appliances as pivotal treatment modality. Sleep disturbances are multifactorial in nature and could be impacted by alterations of the circadian rhythm, neuropsychological impairment, use of medications and some medical conditions. Majority of the elderly people complain of difficulty in sleeping. The study was undertaken to study the effect of complete denture rehabilitation which could have profound impact on rehabilitation protocol on complete edentulous patients
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