Aerodynamic study with and without wearing sleep splint for snoring

Jeong, Kil Jung; Leem, Dae Ho; Lee, Jong Seok; Baek, Jin A; Ko, Seung O; Shin, Hyo Keun; Kim, Hyun Ki

Abstract

If there are problems for us to sleep, we are faced with fatigue and dizziness in the day. Snoring and OSAS (obstructive sleep apnea syndrome) during sleeping are the main cause of sleep disorder. Treatments through surgical method and sleep splint can be performed to treat snoring and OSAS. Relapse of snoring and OSAS is common after treatment by surgical method. But, Recently sleep splint is frequently applied to treat snoring and OSAS with surgical treatment, because it is convenient and conservative. Sleep splint treat snoring and OSAS by ensuring airway through nose. As first step of fabrication occlusal bite is gained at a point that patient get feeling of increased nasal breathing in supined position, and next, the bite is transfered to sleep splint. This study surveyed the effect of sleep splint by questionnaire to the out-patients (the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Chonbuk National University Hospital) weared sleep splint and their partners, secondarily measured airflow through nose by aerophone II after wearing sleep splint and finally evaluated the effect of treatment of snoring and OSAS by sleep splint. The obtained result were as follows; 1. Though 'sleep splint'couldn't eliminate fundamental problems of snoring, it could improve the symptoms when patients were selected could using the 'Nakagawa's respiration method'. 2. Patients who used the sleep splint could breathe stably when patients are sleeping stably. Wearing a'sleep splint'improved airflow by expanding the upper airway. 3. Even though sleep splint can be made with variable materials, the patients expressed the most satisfaction on the splint with '0.75mm hard shell'. 4. The 'Herbst'may allows the mandible to move the TMJ to relax. Nevertheless, some patients experienced a discomfort or irritation. 5. In Snoring and OSAS cases, it is recommended that patients should first explore non-surgical options prior to choosing a surgical treatment.