Impact of upper airway abnormalities on the success and adherence to mandibular advancement device treatment in patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

Factors associated with treatment adherence to mandibular advancement devices: a scoping review

PURPOSE

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is frequently treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or mandibular advancement devices (MADs). For various reasons, both treatment options are often affected by low adherence. While factors associated with low CPAP adherence are described in the literature extensively, less is known about adherence to MAD therapy. This scoping review aimed to synthesize the body of literature on the factors associated with adherence to MAD treatment.

METHODS

A systematic literature search was conducted using bibliographic databases PubMed, Embase.com , Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library (Wiley) to identify relevant studies that described factors associated with adherence to MAD in the treatment of OSA or snoring combined with OSA in adults.

RESULTS

The literature search yielded a total of 694 references. Forty studies were found eligible for inclusion. The literature showed that factors with a possible negative influence on the adherence to MAD treatment are personality aspects; failing effectiveness of MAD; side effects during MAD therapy; using a thermoplastic MAD; dental treatments during MAD therapy; and a poor first experience with the MAD with inadequate guidance by professionals. Factors that may have a positive effect on MAD adherence include effectiveness of therapy, custom-made MAD, good communication skills of the practitioner, early recognition of side effects, stepwise titration of the MAD, and positive first experience with MAD.

CONCLUSIONS

The knowledge of factors associated with MAD adherence can be used to provide further insight into individual adherence to OSA treatments.

Factors influencing adherence to oral appliance therapy in adults with obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic review and meta-analysis

STUDY OBJECTIVES

The review aimed to identify the factors influencing adherence to oral appliance therapy in adults with obstructive sleep apnea.

METHODS

The protocol was initially registered with the International Register of Systematic Reviews (Prospero: CRD42019122615) prior to undertaking a comprehensive electronic search of databases and references without language and date restrictions. Quality assessment was undertaken using the Cochrane Collaboration's risk of bias tool and Quality in Prognosis Studies (QUIPS) tool.

RESULTS

Studies exhibited low or unclear risk of bias for the domains assessed by the respective quality assessment tools. The influence of independent variables such as disease characteristics, patient characteristics, appliance features, and psychological and social factors on adherence levels was also assessed. There was a total of 31 included studies, which consisted of 8 randomized controlled trials, 2 controlled clinical trial, 7 prospective cohorts, 11 retrospective cohorts, and the remaining 3 studies were a case-series, case-control, and a mixed-methods. All 31 included studies were subject to qualitative analysis, with only 4 studies included in the quantitative analysis. Results of the meta-analysis demonstrated increased adherence with custom-made appliances, with a pooled mean difference of -1.34 (-2.02 to -0.66) and low levels of heterogeneity (I² = 0%).

CONCLUSIONS

A weak relationship was observed between objective adherence and patient and disease characteristics, such as age, sex, obesity, apnea-hypopnea index, and daytime sleepiness, to oral appliance therapy. Nonadherent patients reported more side effects with oral appliance therapy than users and tended to discontinue the treatment within the first 3 months. Custom-made oral appliances were preferred and increased adherence reported in comparison to ready-made appliances. Further research is imperative to examine the relationship between psychosocial factors and adherence to oral appliance therapy.

Obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome: relationship with obesity and management in obese patients

Obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome (OSAHS) is a disease characterised by upper airway obstruction during sleep, quite frequent in the general population, even if underestimated. Snoring, sleep apnoea and diurnal hypersomnia are common in these patients. Central obesity plays a key role: it reduces the size and changes the conformation of the upper airways, besides preventing lung expansion, with consequent reduction of lung volumes. Furthermore, obese people are also resistant to leptin, which physiologically stimulates ventilation; as a result, this causes scarce awakening during apnoea. OSAHS diagnosis is based on the combination of clinical parameters, such as apnoea/hypopnoea index (AHI), medical history, physical examination and Mallampati score. The first objective reference method to identify OSAHS is polysomnography followed by sleep endoscopy. Therapy provides in the first instance reduction of body weight, followed by continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), which still remains the treatment of choice in most patients, mandibular advancement devices (MAD) and finally otolaryngology or maxillofacial surgery. Among surgical techniques, central is barbed reposition pharyngoplasty (BRP), used in the field of multilevel surgery.

Neck circumference in Latin America and the Caribbean: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: High neck circumference (NC) is associated with high burden diseases in Latin American and the Caribbean (LAC). NC complements established anthropometric measurements for early identification of cardio-metabolic and other illnesses. However, evidence about NC has not been systematically studied in LAC. We aimed to estimate the mean NC and the prevalence of high NC in LAC.

Methods: We conducted a systematic review in MEDLINE, Embase, Global Health and LILACS. Search results were screened and studied by two reviewers independently. To assess risk of bias of individual studies, we used the Hoy et al. scale and the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. We conducted a random-effects meta-analysis.

Results: In total, 182 abstracts were screened, 96 manuscripts were reviewed and 85 studies (n= 51,978) were summarized. From all the summarized studies, 14 were conducted in a sample of the general population, 23 were conducted with captive populations and 49 studies were conducted with patients. The pooled mean NC in the general population was 35.69 cm (95% IC: 34.85cm-36.53cm; I²: 99.6%). In our patient populations, the pooled mean NC in the obesity group was 42.56cm (95% CI 41.70cm-43.42cm; I²: 92.40%). Across all studied populations, there were several definitions of high NC; thus, prevalence estimates were not comparable. The prevalence of high NC ranged between 37.00% and 57.69% in the general population. The methodology to measure NC was not consistently reported.

Conclusions: Mean NC in LAC appears to be in the range of estimates from other world regions. Inconsistent methods and definitions hamper cross-country comparisons and time trend analyses. There is a need for consistent and comparable definitions of NC so that it can be incorporated as a standard anthropometric indicator in surveys and epidemiological studies.

Soft palate cephalometric changes with a mandibular advancement device may be associated with polysomnographic improvement in obstructive sleep apnea

PURPOSE

It is unclear whether soft palate-associated changes in cephalometry associated with a mandibular advancement device (MAD) are independently associated with improvements in polysomnography (PSG) respiratory parameters in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

METHODS

This retrospective review aimed to identify the association between soft palate-associated changes in cephalometry and PSG changes after application of an MAD. Korean patients diagnosed with OSA who underwent cephalometry with or without an MAD were enrolled. All the patients were evaluated after undergoing full-night PSG twice: once with an MAD and once without. Cephalometric findings were measured using an image analyzer.

RESULTS

Mean apnea-hypopnea index significantly decreased with an MAD from 36.4/h to 14.7/h (p < 0.001). Retropalatal airway space significantly increased with an MAD from 6.6 to 7.3 mm (p = 0.013). Soft palate length also significantly decreased with an MAD from 43.6 to 42.3 mm (p = 0.02). Although these findings were shown by responders (patients with a reduction of apnea-hypopnea index by more than 50%), there were no significant changes in non-responders. However, retroglossal airway space did not significantly increase with an MAD even in responders.

CONCLUSIONS

Improvement of OSA with an MAD can be predicted with soft palate-associated upper airway changes shown in cephalometry.