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

Shin,  Won-Chul; Lee,  Deok-Won; Jung,  Yu Jin; Kim,  Tae-Kyung

J Korean Dent Assoc > Volume 53(1); 2015 > Article

The Journal of The Korean Dental Association 2015;53(1):47-56.
Published online January 31, 2015.

폐쇄성수면무호흡증(Obstructive Sleep Apnea)의 치료에 대한 치과의사의 임상적 접근

신원철¹, 이덕원², 정유진³, 김태경⁴

^¹경희대학교 강동경희대학교병원 신경과
^²경희대학교 강동경희대학교치과병원 구강악안면외과
^³경희대학교 강동경희대학교병원 신경과
^⁴경희대학교 강동경희대학교치과병원 구강악안면외과

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

Won-Chul Shin¹, Deok-Won Lee², Yu Jin Jung³, Tae-Kyung Kim⁴

¹Department of Neurology, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Kyung Hee University
²Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Kyung Hee University Dental Hospital at Gangdong, Kyung Hee University
³Department of Neurology, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Kyung Hee University
⁴Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Kyung Hee University Dental Hospital at Gangdong, Kyung Hee University

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.

Key Words: obstructive sleep apnea;positive airway pressure;oral appliance;genioglossus advancement;