Impact of an oral appliance on obstructive sleep apnea severity, quality of life, and biomarkers

OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS To investigate outcomes including efficacy, quality of life, and levels of inflammatory markers of a mandibular advancement device (MAD) for moderate-to-severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). STUDY DESIGN Case-control study. METHODS Patients with apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) ≥ 15/hr who only accepted MAD therapy (study group) or who refused any treatment (control group) were recruited. At baseline and at 6 months, polysomnography, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire (FOSQ), C-reactive protein (CRP), interleukin 1β, interleukin 6, and tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α) were assessed in both groups. RESULTS At baseline, the study group (n …