Efficacy of oral myofunctional therapy in middle‐aged to elderly patients with obstructive sleep apnoea treated with continuous positive airway pressure

Greek DailyNews shared this article with you from Inoreader Efficacy of oral myofunctional therapy in middle‐aged to elderly patients with obstructive sleep apnoea treated with continuous positive airway pressure Via Journal of Oral Rehabilitation Apnoea‐hypopnea index values were significantly reduced after 6 months of MFT. Tongue pressures were significantly increased after 6 months of MFT. Half of the patients with moderate OSA successfully withdrew from CPAP. Abstract Background Oral myofunctional therapy (MFT) is an effective treatment for mild‐to‐moderate obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in middle‐aged patients. However, few reports have described its use in elderly patients with moderate and severe OSA. Moreover, no studies have examined the relationship between changes in tongue pressure with MFT and the severity of OSA. Objective We conducted an interventional study using MFT to evaluate the effect of MFT on middle‐to‐senior‐aged patients with moderate or severe OSA and compared changes in apnoea‐hypopnea index (AHI) and tongue pressure. Methods Thirty‐two OSA patients (≥45 years) treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) were included. MFT was performed in parallel with CPAP. Three days after CPAP discontinuation, polysomnographies were performed and tongue pressures were measured before and after MFT. Results Patients were 69.3 ± 1.5 years old. After 6 months of MFT, AHI decreased significantly from 34.7 to 29.0/h (P = .03), while tongue pressure significantly increased from 35.9 to 45.6 kPa (P < .01). Seven patients (22%), including 6 of the 12 patients with moderate OSA (50%), experienced successful CPAP discontinuation. Conclusions MFT can be a useful intervention even among middle‐aged to elderly patients with OSA. Increased tongue pressure may have contributed to the AHI improvement. Clinical trials: Trial registration at www.umin.ac.jp UMIN000027547. View on the web Inoreader. Take back control of your news feed. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.