Impact of oral appliance therapy on quality of life (QoL) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea - a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Abstract

Treatment of patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)using mandibular advancement appliances enhances the airway and may be an alternative to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)in individuals with reduced adherence to CPAPtherapy. The effectiveness as well as improved patient compliance associated with these appliances may improve the quality of life in patients withOSA. The aim of this systematicreviewof studies was to determine the improvement in quality of life amongst patients withOSA who were treated with an oral appliance. The research study was registered on the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO: CRD42021193386). A search was carried out using the search engines Google Scholar, PubMed, Ovid, Cochrane Trial Registry, and LILACS. Patients with OSA treated with oral appliance therapy to advance the mandible were studied. Twenty-five studies were identified through the literature search and all had varying control groups for assessment of quality of life. Seventeen studies were included for the quantitative synthesis. QoL, evaluated by the Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire (FOSQ), significantly improved in patients treated with oral appliance therapy. There was a mean difference of 1.8points between the baseline scores and the scores following treatment with anoral appliance. Overall, a significant improvement in the QoL was observed with the Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire, following oral appliance therapy.