Sleep position and oral appliance therapy effective for positional obstructive sleep apnea
A study published in Sleep Medicine concluded that novel eye mask sleep position therapy ( SPT ) and Oral Appliance Therapy (OAT) are effective in managing positional obstructive sleep apnea (POSA). Combo of these two is highly effective than treatment alone, thereby presenting as an excellent therapeutic option for managing POSA.
SPT and OAT have been used to treat POSA, but only some relevant clinical studies have been conducted in Chinese populations. More data must be collected on the combined effects of SPT and OAT.
Considering this background, the research explored whether a new eye mask SPT and OAT combination are more effective at treating POSA.
The team identified 60 POSA subjects diagnosed by standard polysomnography (PSG). The study had three groups: SPT, OAT, and SPT combined with OAT (SOT). A decline in the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) at month 6 was the primary outcome measured in the study.
The results of the study are:
- PSG showed improvement in the AHI and oxygen-derived parameters following six months of treatment.
- The SOT group had better AHI decline than the OAT or SPT group, with values of (71.58%, 44.42 % and 33.24 % for SOT, OAT, and SPT at six months.
- The sleep apnea-specific hypoxic burden or SASHB improved more in the SOT group.
- At six months, the percentage of the efficacies of SPT, OAT, and SOT were 36.84%, 50%, and 80%, respectively.
- The SOT group had the highest value for the comparisons of SOT with OAT and SOT with SPT, respectively.
They concluded a combo of SPT and OAT was better than either treatment alone for the management of POSA.
The study's strength was a randomized controlled design in a Chinese population.
The limitations are small sample size, single-centre study, low representation of women and limiting generalizability.
They said, “To our knowledge, this is the first research that had used novel eye mask SPT for managing POSA. The results of our study have provided new therapeutic options and have demonstrated that combining these two treatments is better than used alone. It is a good option for POSA subjects.”
Further reading:
Effects of the combination of novel eye mask sleep position therapy device and oral appliance on positional OSA: A multi-arm, parallel-group randomized controlled trial
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1389945722012667
