For people suffering from sleep apnea, the treatment known as continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is their main option. Although CPAP does work 99% of the time, the treatment has been coupled with complaints of discomfort and inconvenience. Most patients find it hard to use CPAP regularly, which leads to inconsistent use and even permanent cessation of treatment altogether. But a recent study conducted by researchers at The Netherlands’ University of Groningen may give them another option:
“New research indicates that some OSA patients may have another treatment option. Researchers at The Netherlands’ University of Groningen compared treatment outcomes for OSA patients using CPAP and oral appliance therapy. They found oral appliance therapy to be an effective alternative to CPAP for treating sleep apnea.
Both oral appliance therapy and CPAP resulted in significant improvements to patients sleep quality, as well as to their levels of daytime sleepiness. Both treatments also showed similar reductions to levels of depression and anxiety, conditions frequently reported by sleep apnea patients.”
Oral appliance therapy involves a dental device similar to a mouth guard or a retainer. It is placed inside the mouth and keeps the airways open, preventing the tongue and other muscles at the rear of the oral cavity from collapsing, thus eliminating any blockage to the patient’s breathing. The researchers have tested the two treatments in a multi-year study, and they have found out that both CPAP and oral appliance therapy have the same success rate in treating mild to severe sleep apnea.
Other researchers have tried comparing the two treatments, and the results are conclusive. Australian researchers tested both on sleep apnea sufferers and found that both treatments improved their respiration while asleep. Oral appliance therapy also improved the patients’ willingness to comply with the treatment protocol. The device is now available from dentist in Indianapolis, such as Gillum Dentistry.
The development of oral appliance therapy provides snoring sleep apnea patients with a continuous treatment, since CPAP is known to have issues regarding consistent use. For your Free Consultation please consult Dr. Richard S. Gillum at Gillum Dentistry your trusted Indianapolis dentist to know more about oral appliance therapy and its suitability to your case.
(Source: An Effective Alternative to CPAP for Sleep Apnea, The Huffington Post)