Maxillofacial treatment planning in Obstructive Sleep Apnea

A rising trend in prevalence of patients suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is identified, which has an increasing impact on healthcare systems worldwide. Healthcare providers and clinicians are looking for an appropriate way to diagnose and treat all these patients. To achieve progress in this lacune, new insights are essential. Focus of this dissertation is the hiatus in present treatment planning for the patients with OSA, specifically Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT), positional therapy (SPT) in part one and Maxillomandibular Advancement surgery (MMA) in part two.
Our results from a randomized controlled trial between OAT and SPT in patients with positional OSA, show that SPT has excellent efficacy comparable to OAT (part one). Side-effects and adverse events of both therapies seem essential in the choice for the specific patient (e.g., dental fitness, the presence of shoulder and/or neck problems and more specific snoring is lateral positions).
Part two illustrates MMA as the most effective and permanent treatment option for patients with moderate and severe OSA. However, MMA is regarded as an invasive surgical treatment with possible complications; loss of sensory function of the inferior alveolar nerve, dental malocclusion, and alterations in facial aesthetics after surgery. This dissertation has assessed different aspects in detail for these treatment options and could be of support for all physicians in the field of OSA in shared decision making together with their patients in daily practice.