Effects of Prosthetic Therapy in the Treatment of Edentulous Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Abstract

Background: This study is based on the assumption that the reduced vertical dimension of occlusion (VDO) in patients wearing complete dentures could be one of the causes of OSA appearance. The aim of the study was to examine the effect of prosthetic treatment which corrects the reduced VDO in edentulous patients with OSA. Methods: The study involved 20 edentulous patients with apnea/hypopnea index per hour of sleep (AHI/h) > 5.7 lt 32.5. The methodology of research required a multidisciplinary chronological protocol from collection of anamnestic data, intraoral examination, polysomnographic (PSG) registration during sleep, and diagnosis by using the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to fabrication of the complete dentures in accordance with the established clinical procedures. Volume analysis (in cubic millimeters) of the pharynx was performed as sum of the segmented areas multiplied by their thickness. Results: Prosthetic therapy in edentulous patients with OSA reduced the value of AHI/h. The average value of AHI/h based on the sample data before the treatment was 17.6 +/- 8.9 while three months after the treatment with complete dentures AHI/h amounted to 9.7 +/- 6.5 (p lt 0.001). After three months from prosthetic rehabilitation, MRI showed a mean volume increase of 27% of pharynx in edentulous patients with OSA. Conclusion: The prosthetic treatment with complete dentures which corrects VDO provides adequate support to orofacial structures, increases the volume of the pharynx and reduces the symptoms of OSA in edentulous patients.