[Oral appliances for obstructive sleep apnoea: What can we expect?]

Mandibular appliances are a treatment option for obstructive sleep apnea. There are many designs, but in the literature they tend to be grouped into a single entity without considering that efficiency, tolerance, compliance, or side effects are inherent in the design of each of them. A more detailed literature review is therefore warranted for the reader who wants to understand the relative effectiveness of each appliance.

We conducted a literature search using the "oral appliance" and "obstructive sleep apnea" criteria on Pubmed, Embase and Cochrane. This allowed us to compare outcome parameters by appliance class and to highlight the rare studies comparing different appliances.

Mandibular appliances are not a homogeneous entity. Common use includes only appliances designed for propulsion (with rods and jacks) and retention. However, the few comparative studies available do not identify which are the most effective types or the types with an optimal efficacy/tolerance ratio.

Further appliance comparison studies are needed to determine the most effective type or with an optimal efficacy/tolerance ratio.