2019 Volume 82 Issue 2 Pages 56-62
We conducted a retrospective survey of 126 patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who received oral appliance (OA) therapy in a special outpatient clinic for OSA at Osaka Dental University Hospital who were seen between September 2017 and August 2018. Age, sex, body mass index (BMI), and the apnea‐hypopnea index (AHI) were elicited from the patient clinical records. The average age was 55±14 years, the BMI was 25.2±4.7 kg/m2, and the AHI was 28.3±16.9/hr. There was mild OSA severity in 22% of the patients, moderate in 36%, and severe in 42%. We studied the 68 patients with an AHI of 20 or more, which is a reference value for adaptation to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. The reason for referral from physicians was that the patient dropped out of CPAP therapy, or a combination of CPAP and OA therapies. Patients were also sometimes referred because of issues with their life style. This study revealed the need for cooperation of the medical and dental professions in the field of sleep medicine. Shika Igaku (J Osaka Odontol Soc) 2019; September; 82(2):56‐62.
