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

  • Sleep Breathing Physiology and Disorders • Review
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Abstract

Purpose

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 CPAP therapy. The effectiveness as well as improved patient compliance associated with these appliances may improve the quality of life in patients with OSA. The aim of this systematic review of studies was to determine the improvement in quality of life amongst patients with OSA who were treated with an oral appliance.

Methods

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.

Results

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 1.8 points between the baseline scores and the scores following treatment with an oral appliance.

Conclusion

Overall, a significant improvement in the QoL was observed with the Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire, following oral appliance therapy.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Sri Ramachandra Institute of Higher Education and Research (DU), No. 1 Ramachandra Nagar, Porur, Chennai, 600116, India

    Hita Rangarajan, Sridevi Padmanabhan, Sukanya Ranganathan & Vignesh Kailasam

Authors
  1. Hita Rangarajan
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  2. Sridevi Padmanabhan
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  3. Sukanya Ranganathan
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  4. Vignesh Kailasam
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Correspondence to Sridevi Padmanabhan.

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Comment

The measurement of quality of life (QoF) is an important aspect in the evaluation of oral appliance treatment for OSA, compared with CPAP, UPPP, and other treatments. This systematic review is more patient-centered and provides more valuable results for clinicians.

Yanyan Ma.

Beijing, China.

This article is part of the Topical Collection on Oral Appliance Therapy

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Rangarajan, H., Padmanabhan, S., Ranganathan, S. et al. Impact of oral appliance therapy on quality of life (QoL) in patients with obstructive sleep apnea — a systematic review and meta-analysis. Sleep Breath 26, 983–996 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-021-02483-0

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