Dispositivos intraorales utilizados para el tratamiento de la apnea obstructiva del sueño en pacientes edéntulos: Revisión de la literatura y bases de patentes

Introduction: The Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is considered a problem of World Public Health that greatly affects men and women between 50 and 70 years old, where some of them are edentulous patients which treatment difficulty. Objective: To identify the existing devices for mild and moderate OSA treatment in edentulous patients. Method: A comprehensive review was conducted in the literature and patent databases. Results: 5 articles and 2 patents were found. The main therapy objective in all devices is to increase the upper airway space between the tongue base and the posterior pharyngeal wall trough mandibular advancement. Several problems with use of these devices include lack retention, difficult for maintain the vertical dimension, muscular discomfort and Temporomandibular Disorders. Conclusion: There are limited effective intraoral devices in literature for OSA treatment in edentulous patients. It is necessary to design future investigations in this area.