Implant Supported Oral Appliance Treatment of OSA

Mandibular advancing oral appliances (OAm) are an effective and increasingly common treatment modality for the management of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults. The effectiveness of OAm therapy, however, is dependent on a high level of patient adherence, which may be negatively impacted by treatment side effects - the most significant of which are occlusal changes and tooth movement. The proposed pilot study will evaluate the efficacy of a novel implant supported OAm in 10 OSA patients who have already been successfully treated with a traditional OAm. The study will compare OSA specific outcomes with traditional OAm use against novel oral appliance use after one month. This study could potentially validate the novel design features of an effective treatment option for OSA that does not result in tooth movement, which is a significant side effect shared by all existing OAm devices. Ultimately, this study could lead to increased treatment adherence and better OSA patient health outcomes in the future.