Mandibular Advancement Devices in Patients with Symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Review

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep disorder resulting from the repetitive narrowing and collapse of the upper respiratory tract. The results of previous epidemiological studies confirm a significant impact of OSA on the health situation around the world. Untreated OSA is associated with many adverse health effects, such as hypertension, coronary artery disease, stroke, atrial fibrillation, congestive heart failure, and daytime sleepiness. Excessive mortality of OSA patients, especially in men under 50 years of age, associated with advanced disease, obesity, cardiovascular complications, and a greater risk of road accidents, requires an urgent extension of the diagnostic-therapeutic database dealing with this problem. It is estimated that in the adult population, OSA occurs in 4% of men and in 2% of women. In recent years, intraoral devices have become an increasingly common method of OSA and snoring treatment. Nevertheless, the use of devices producing continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) remains the most effective treatment method. However, intraoral devices have the advantage of not requiring a source of electricity and are less troublesome in everyday use. Intraoral devices are well tolerated by the majority of patients, and their therapeutic efficacy is confirmed. Since such devices become commoner, the purpose of this work was to present the procedures, indications, and recommendations involved with intraoral devices while taking into consideration a variety of dental conditions. The side effects of the use of intraoral devices and their influence on the entire stomatognathic system were also described.