[Oral appliances in the treatment of snoring]

There are many methods of snoring treatment from conservative and prosthetic to surgical. The snoring sound is produced by vibration of the soft tissues of the pharynx, soft palate and also uvula. Snoring occurs in 50% of the adult male population and it can be isolated or sign of the obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. Oral appliances modify the position of the mandibule, the tongue and other structures in oral cavity. Oral appliances are recommended for the treatment of snoring and mild obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome. That is why we constructed the study to assess wheather oral appliances correct snoring. 12 mails (aged 43-57) with intensive snoring for at least 50% of the sleep time were qualified to the treatment with oral appliances. The decision about the type of the device were made by ENT surgeon and maxillo-facial surgeon. The various oral appliances were used; some of which were modyfied by us. During the treatment snoring was tested with Poly-Mesam device. The best results were obtained with the use of devices that correct the position of soft palate and uvula. All the devices decreased snoring significantly. They were tolerated by the majority of patients.