American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics
Does 2 years’ nocturnal treatment with a mandibular advancement splint in adult patients with snoring and OSAS cause a change in the posture of the mandible?☆,☆☆,★
Section snippets
MATERIAL AND METHODS
Thirty patients with socially handicapping snoring and OSAS participated in this intraindividual pilot study. Twenty-one were male, 9 were female; they ranged in age from 46.5 to 79.8 years with a mean age of 55.3 years (SD, 8.61) at the start of treatment. All patients had been referred from the Ear, Nose, and Throat (ENT) Department for treatment with a mandibular advancement splint. The snoring and OSAS had been confirmed by somnography, and all patients were judged to benefit from
RESULTS
All patients declared that they had used the mandibular advancement splint 6 to 8 hours per night and 5 to 7 nights per week throughout the 2-year treatment period. During the first nights of use, 8 patients reported transient symptoms like slight tenderness in the teeth and/or increased salivary secretion. Two patients reported increased jaw stiffness during half an hour after removal of the splint in the morning. However, none of the patients reported any permanent sense of altered occlusion.
DISCUSSION
In the present pilot study, a control group matched with regard to age and sex could not be obtained for ethical reasons. Instead, a common approach with an intraindividual experimental protocol was used where the dentofacial morphology was intraindividually compared at the start and after 2 years of treatment. The most interesting finding of the study was that a significant forward and downward change in mandibular position had occurred after treatment (Table I). It was also found that the
CONCLUSIONS
The most interesting finding of this pilot study was that a statistically significant forward and downward change in mandibular posture had occurred after 2 years’ nocturnal treatment with a mandibular advancement splint in adult snoring and OSAS patients. It was also found that the forward and downward movement of the mandible was accomplished by a statistically significant increase in mandibular length. This might be a result of a condylar or glenoid fossa remodeling as a compensatory
Acknowledgements
This pilot study is dedicated to my father, Yngve Bondemark, who died during the time the study was accomplished.
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Cited by (0)
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The research was supported by the Swedish Dental Society and the University of Kristianstad, Sweden.
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Reprint requests to: Dr Lars Bondemark, Orthodontic Clinic, Esplanadgatan 15, S-281 38 Hässleholm, Sweden; e-mail: [email protected]
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0889-5406/99/$8.00 + 0 8/1/100760