Abstract
In order to investigate the morphological characteristics
of Japanese patients with obstructive
sleep apnea (OSA) and basis for selection of an
oral appliance (OA) therapy, the craniofacial
skeleton, soft tissue and upper airway were analyzed
on lateral cephalograms from 103 patients
with OSA and 98 control subjects.
At first, the 103 OSA patients were divided into
two groups according to their body mass index
(BMI). The results were the following:
Micrognathia was a major risk factor of Japanese
OSA patients instead of obesity; the narrowing in
the hypopharynx was observed due to the inferiorlocated
hyoid bone, especially in the obese
group, an enlarged tongue and sticking of fatty-tissue
to upper airway wall were observed in addition.
Secondly, the 103 OSA patients were treated by OA,
and were classified according to the reduction
ratio of AHI (rAHI) again. The results suggested that
the patients group which showed rAHI ≧50 % had
a balanced relationship between the maxilla and
mandible.
These findings proved that the morphological
characteristics specific to Japanese patients with
OSA and patients who were allowed to accept the
OA therapy were exist.
