Efficacy of Oro-Myofunctional Therapy (OMT) in Patients with Mild to Moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea
摘要
Oro-Myofunctional therapy has been routinely used in Speech therapy of individuals with oromotor dysfunction. Interestingly, it has also been gaining attention in the field of Otorhinolaryngology as it is a non-invasive procedure and has direct action on oral motility. Hence, we aimed to evaluate the effect of Oral Myofunctional therapy as a potential method for the treatment of patients with mild to moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) for evidence-based practice.
Materials and MethodsForty-seven patients with mild to moderate OSAS. All the enrolled patients had undergone OMT for three months. The pre- and post-therapy polysomnography for objective analysis were subjected to the following: calculation of the Epworth sleepiness scale, and the WHOQOL_BREF questionnaire was used to document the outcome.
ResultsThere was a significant decrease in apnea hypopnea index (AHI) and arousal index after myofunctional therapy, as compared to before myofunctional therapy (p < 0.001 for all). Also, there was a significant decrease in desaturation parameters (desaturation index, average duration SaO2 < 90%, % total sleep time SaO2 < 90%) after myofunctional therapy (p < 0.001). Subjective assessment using the Epworth Daytime Sleepiness scale and Patient Outcome Measure (WHOQOL-BREF) also showed significant improvement in the overall health of these patients.
ConclusionOro-myofunctional therapy can facilitate both objective and subjective improvement in OSAS. Further research comparing other treatment modalities and using them in adjunct with CPAP may be the future protocol in patients with Sleep apnea.