Examination of the Compliance and Sleep Quality of Oral Appliances Fabricated by Different Materials for Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome：A Pilot Study

Abstract

We conducted a preliminary study with the aim of improving oral appliances to achieve high-level compliance in patients with sleep apnea syndrome. Specifically, we fabricated an oral appliance for four patients with sleep apnea syndrome using two types of materials based on the same therapeutic jaw position, and compared patient responses regarding sensation and sleeping conditions when each appliance was fitted. 　Discomfort caused by the oral appliance was greater for the soft-type appliance than for the hard-type appliance in the following patient-assessed variables：“Appliance is loose”；“Difficult to close mouth”；and “Difficult to achieve deep sleep”. Conversely, discomfort was greater for the hard-type appliance in the following variables：“Appliance is difficult to fit”；and “Pain in the teeth”. Only one patient exhibited a complete match between results of sleep data and the type of oral appliance that the patient wanted to continue using. This study was conducted on a small population of four patients, so future research needs to target more patients and to collect sleep data prior to fitting the oral appliance in order to clarify the properties of each of these two types of experimental oral appliances.