Mouth Guard Endorsed for Sleep Apnea
Wearing Device While Sleeping Viewed as Alternative Treatment for Sleep
Disorder
By Jennifer Warner
WebMD Medical News
Reviewed By Louise Chang, MD
on Friday, February 03, 2006
Feb. 3, 2006 -- It may look like it belongs on the
football field, but a mouth guard-like device may help millions of people (and
their mates) who suffer from sleep apnea
sleep a bit easier.
An estimated 18 million Americans have obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a sleep
disorder caused by an obstructed airway due to the tongue and soft tissues
falling into the back of the throat during sleep. This results in short episodes
when breathing is stopped. Obstructive sleep apnea leads to excessive daytime
sleepiness and has been associated with increased risk for high blood pressure,
stroke, heart problems, and death.
Although continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the most effective
treatment available for obstructive sleep apnea, new guidelines recommend the
use of oral appliances for the treatment of mild to moderate obstructive sleep
apnea in people who don't respond to CPAP or have difficulty sticking with the
treatment.
CPAP involves wearing a mask attached to a machine that delivers air with
increased pressure while you sleep. But researchers say many people find this
treatment uncomfortable or intolerable, and an oral device may be an attractive
treatment option.
"OSA is a serious, life-threatening condition -- but for many patients,
alleviating its effects can be as easy as utilizing an oral appliance at night,"
says Kent Moore, MD, DDS, president of the American Academy of Dental Sleep
Medicine, in a news release. "Oral appliances, which resemble sports mouth
guards, may control mild to moderate OSA with minimal discomfort or disruption."
Researchers say there are many types of oral appliances that may be used to
treat sleep apnea, snoring, or both. When worn during sleep, they help to
maintain an open airway by repositioning or stabilizing the lower jaw, tongue,
soft palate, or uvula (the fingerlike piece of tissue that hangs down from the
soft palate at the back of the mouth).
The most common symptoms of sleep apnea are excessive snoring and daytime
sleepiness. It is diagnosed with special tests while you sleep, usually in a
sleep lab.
The recommendations appear in the February issue of Sleep, the
journal of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
SOURCES: Kushida, C. Sleep, February
2006; vol 29: pp 240-243. News release, American Academy of Sleep
Medicine/American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine.
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