[Clinical observation of oral appliances in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome].

OBJECTIVE

To explore the effect of treatment with the oral appliances on 36 cases with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS).

METHODS

The patients are requested to put on the proper oral appliances when sleeping. Polysomnography (PSG) are used to measure the apnea hypoventilation index(AHI), lowest SaO2 and longest apnea time before and after treatment.

RESULTS

Having been Compared with the obtained data, the AHI decreased, the lowest SaO2 increased and the longest apnea duration shortened significantly (P < 0.05) in OSAS patients after oral appliance treatment.

CONCLUSIONS

The oral appliances helped to widen the upper airway, stabilized the lower jaw bone on a forward position to make the tongue and the soft palate move forward, increased the effective amount of inhaled air while sleeping and improved sleeping quality. There fore, it is an effective method for the treatment of OSAS.