Abstract
The 26 patients who were diagnosed with sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) at Fujigaoka Hospital of Showa Univ., department of snore outpatients were treated with a template, a type of oral appliance for temporomandibular joint dysfunction (TMD) . Evaluation of the template therapy was carried out by apnomonitor inspection such as apnea index (AI), desaturation index (DI), AI + DI, lowest saturation pulse O2 (lowest SpO2) and average saturation pulse O2 (mean SpO2) . The overjet and the overbite were measured as the dental occlusal condition. Whole indexes from the apnomonitor were improved by wearing the template. The mean overbite was 2.7 mm and the mean overjet was 3.9 mm (normal length : 2.4 mm) . A wider overjet results in a backward intrusion of the lower jaw making the oral cavity narrower. The template widers the oral cavity the same as a UPPP operation. From these clinical findings it is thought that the template is effective for SAS patients.
