The effectiveness of adjustable oral appliance for older adult patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

BACKGROUND Oral appliance (OA) treatment for obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) has attracted more and more attention due to its low price, comfort, portable and non-invasion. This study aimed to investigate the clinical effectiveness of adjustable oral appliance on older adult patients with OSAS. METHODS Thirty older adult patients diagnosed with OSAS were chosen as the study participants and received an adjustable OA for 6 months. Then, the patients were subjected to a polysomnographic examination, Berlin Questionnaire (BQ) scale questionnaire, and cone beam computer tomography (CBCT) analytical measurement to evaluate their symptom improvement and the morphologic changes of the upper airway. RESULTS After treatment with adjustable oral appliance for six months, the results showed that there was an improvement of different degrees in the subjective symptoms. Apnea hypopnea index (AHI) had decreased from (27.65±1.31) per hour to (6.74±0.75) per hour (P