[Use of an intraoral snoring therapy device of thermolabile plastic]

Oral appliances are used to treat snoring and sleep apnea. Yet, their success cannot be predicted without a therapeutical trial. This uncertainty and the high prices of the appliances are the reasons for their limited use. We tested a cheap, custom fit mandibular advancement device (SnorBan) for the treatment of sleep disordered breathing in order to assess its efficacy. 39 consecutive patients (51.1 +/- 9.2 years, BMI = 27.4 +/- 4.5 kg/m2) with different degrees of sleep disordered breathing (AHI = 16.6/h +/- 15.6/h) received the device after a thorough clinical examination. After getting used to the device a second polysomnography was performed. The AHI improved significantly from 16.6/h to 8.2/h (P < 0.01) in the whole group. The only patient who became worse could not get used to the device. Time with snoring dropped significantly from 16.3% to 6.6%, 59.1% of the sleep apnea patients were successfully treated as their RDI dropped below 10/h. The sleep efficiency remained unchanged. Slow wave sleep and REM-sleep increased significantly from 12% to 16% (P < 0.05). The overall compliance was 75%. The custom fit mandibular advancement device Snorban is a cheap and effective treatment for a number of patients with snoring and sleep apnea. The oral appliance is proven to be a useful and simple, non-surgical treatment option. Polysomnographic follow-up is mandatory as breathing may worsen with the device while asleep.