• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.190-195
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• 2010

Oral appliance therapy is a simple, reversible way for improving snoring and/or obstructive sleep apnea. It may be indicated for the patients who are unable to tolerate continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) or who have potential risks for surgical intervention. Oral appliance therapy increases airway space by the providing stable anterior positioning of the mandible, pulling out tongue, lifting up soft palate, or changing the muscle activity of the genioglossus. Currently, more than 80 different types of oral appliances have been introduced for snoring and/or obstructive sleep apnea. They are classified by their characteristics such as mode of action, adjustability and material used. This article provides a detailed clinical protocol and treatment procedure for oral appliance therapy.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.283-292
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• 2007

In several treatment modalities for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), oral appliances mainly including mandibular advancement appliance (MAA) and tongue retaining device (TRD) are recognized as a non-invasive, reversible alternative with favorable results. Tongue bulb is a major component of TRD which prevents the tongue from approaching the posterior wall of the pharynx and can be combined with MAA. Determination of tongue bulb size for the patient is important for therapeutic effect, but frequently needs time-consuming work. For effective fabrication and standardization of tongue bulbs, this study aimed to categorize tongue bulb size for healthy young men and to examine its relation with maximum retention force and with physical parameters including tongue-related variables. 36 non-snoring, asymptomatic young men with normal occlusion were voluntarily participated in this study (mean age: $24.47{\pm}2.58$ years). Experimental procedures consisted of prefabrication of tongue bulb set (20 types with a width of 27-36mm and thickness of 8 and 10 mm), determination of tongue bulb size and the maximum retention force for each subject, and measurement of physical parameters including body mass index (BMI), neck circumference and width, thickness and length of tongue. This study showed that there was significant difference of retention force among the bulb size-related groups both in upright and supine position (p<0.05) and that retention force increased with bulb size. Correlation of tongue bulb size with physical parameters was not clearly verified and there was no significant difference in retention force between upright and supine positions. Based on our results, it can be suggested that retention force relates with tongue bulb size, ultimately with tongue volume. A further study needs to be performed in the patients with snoring and OSA.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.29-34
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• 2011

Objectives: The purposes of this study were to estimate the effect of mandibular advancement device (MAD) and to evaluate the influence of the advancement amount of mandible in the application of MAD for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients. Methods: From the patients who were diagnosed as OSA by polysomnographic study at Seoul National University Bundang Hospital from January 2007 to February 2009, the patients who chose MAD as treatment option were included in this study. All the patients’ data including clinical records and polysomnographic studies (both pre- and post-treatment) were reviewed and analyzed. Results: Successful results were obtained in 65 patients of 86 patients (75.6%). In the follow-up period, mild discomfort of anterior teeth or temporomandibular joint (TMJ) were described in 28 patients, especially in the cases the amount of mandibular advancement were more than 7.0 mm. There was no direct relationship between the amount of mandibular advancement and clinical outcome. Conclusion: MAD was effective treatment option for the OSA patients regardless of severity. For the prevention of potential dental complications, the amount of mandibular advancement should be considered at the time of MAD treatment.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.37 no.3
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• pp.338-344
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• 2010

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of children's tonsil size on the behavior during pediatric dental sedation. The sedation records of thirty five children were examined in this study. All the sedations had been performed using chloral hydrate/hydroxyzine, nitrous oxide/oxygen or/and submucosal midazolam, and the subjects were divided into 4 groups according to their tonsil size using Brodsky's tonsil classification. The results were as follows: 1. The patients with enlarged tonsils showed negative behaviors in all behavior rating aspects(sleep, movement, crying, overall behavior) during sedation than those with normal tonsils(p<0.05). 2. Enlarged tonsils were correlated with mouth breathing(p<0.05) but not with snoring and coughing(p>0.05) during sedation. 3. For the patients with enlarged tonsils, significantly higher doses of midazolam were administered during sedation than for those with normal tonsils(p<0.05).

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.383-394
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• 1997

The purpose of this study was to examine the anatomic changes in the upper airway with a dental orthosis. the effectiveness and side effects of orthosis in the treatment of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. To meet this puppose a dental orthosis, designed to increase the size of the upper airway by advancing the mandible, was used in 42 patients (30 M, 12 F), aged 29 - 69 years, to treat snoring and varying decrees of obstructive sleep apnea. Cephalometric study of anatomic featured was made with and without a dental orthosis, and the evaluation of the effectiveness and side effects of orthosis was done by questionnaires. The obtained results were as follows : 1. All subjects were habitual snorers and 32 patients comp1ained the loudness of snoring as severe as be heard outside of the patient's room. 2. According to the degree of respiratory distirbance index(RDI) and aprea index(Al) from the polysomnograph in 34 patient, mild obstructive sleep apnea patients were 5, moderate 6 and severe 16. 3. Various anatomic changes in the upper airway with denta1 orthosis were as follows : (1) More superioly positioned hyoid bone ( p<0.001) (2) Enlarged oropharyngeal (superior p<0.01, middle p<0.01. inferior p<0.01) and hypopharyngeal (P<0.05) airway space. 4. According to the results of the changes of clinical syptoms after the usage of the dental orthosis acquired from questionnaires, there was significant improvement in the frequently, the loudness and the severity of snoring, cessation of breathing and awakening from the difficulty of breathing during sleep. 5. The effectiveness and side effects of dental orthosis by questionnaires were as follows ; (1) Dental orthosis satisfied almost all the patients (68±20%). (2) Snoring was improved in all the patients (73±19%). (3) Obstructive sleep aphea was improved in all the patients (61 ± 37%) (4) Sleepiness in the daytime was significantly improved (61 ±37%). (5) The sleep quality was significantly improved (61±37%). (6) The discomfort of the dental orthosis was minor (33±18%) and no serious complications were observed. 6. The dental orthosis is an effective treatment for the symptom of snoring, and it can also effectively treat varying degrees of obstructive sleep apnea.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.48 no.3
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• pp.178-183
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• 2010

Obstructive Sleep Apnea(OSA) is a form of sleep disordered breathing(SDB) characterized by the occurrence of episodes of complete or partial upper airway obstruction during sleep that is often quantified as the apnea-hyponea index(AHI). It is increasingly being recognized that OSA is a public health hazard and there is increasing evidence that it is associated with an increase in morbidity. Early recognition and diagnosis of this condition may lead to earlier treatments (eg, CPAP, Oral appliances) with reduction of the risk of metabolic disease, cardiovascular diseases, such as hypertension, ischemic heart disease, arrhythmias and pulmonary hypertension.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.30-34
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• 2015

Obesity hypoventilation syndrome (OHS) is characterized by severe obesity, excessive daytime sleepiness, hypoxemia and hypercapnea. Because OHS mimics pulmonary hypertension or cor pulmonale, clinicians should recognize and treat this syndrome appropriately. A 58-year-old female visited the emergency room because of dyspnea. She was obese and had kyphoscoliosis. The patient also experienced snoring, recurrent choking during sleep and daytime hypersomnolence which worsened after gaining weight in the recent year. The arterial blood gas analysis showed she experienced hypoxemia and hypercapnea not only during nighttime but also daytime. We suspected OHS and the patient underwent polysomnography to confirm whether obstructive sleep apnea was present. During the polysomnography test, sleep obstructive apnea was observed and apnea-hypopnea index was 9.2/hr. The patient was treated with bilevel positive airway pressure therapy (BiPAP). After BiPAP for 4 days, hypoxemia and hypercapnia were resolved and she is currently well without BiPAP. We report a case successfully treated with clinical improvement by presuming OHS early in a patient who had typical OHS symptoms, even while having other conditions which could cause hypoventilation.

• Journal of the korean academy of Pediatric Dentistry
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• v.46 no.4
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• pp.369-381
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• 2019

The aim of this study was to analyze the changes and improvements in symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) using semi-rapid maxillary expansion (SRME) in children with narrow maxilla and SDB symptoms. Subjects were 15 patients with sleep disorder (apnea-hypopnea index, AHI ≥ 1) and narrow maxillary arch between 7 and 9 years of age. Before the SRME was applied, all subjects underwent pediatric sleep questionnaires (PSQ), lateral cephalometry, and portable sleep monitoring before expansion (T0). All subjects were treated with SRME for 2 months, followed by maintenance for the next 3 months. All subjects had undergone PSQ, lateral cephalometry, and portable sleep monitoring after expansion (T1). Adenoidal-nasopharyngeal ratio (ANR), upper airway width and hyoid bone position were measured by lateral cephalometry. The data before and after SRME were statistically analyzed with frequency analysis and Wilcoxon signed rank test. As reported by PSQ, the total PSQ scale was declined significantly from 0.45 (T0) to 0.18 (T1) (p = 0.001). Particularly, snoring, breathing, and inattention hyperactivity were significantly improved (p = 0.001). ANR significantly decreased from 0.63 (T0) to 0.51 (T1) (p = 0.003). After maxillary expansion, only palatopharyngeal airway width was significantly increased (p = 0.035). There was no statistically significant difference in position of hyoid bone after expansion (p = 0.333). From analysis of portable sleep monitoring, changes in sleep characteristics showed a statistically significant decrease in AHI and ODI, and the lowest oxygen desaturation was significantly increased after SRME (p = 0.001, 0.004, 0.023). In conclusion, early diagnosis with questionnaires and portable sleep monitoring is important. Treatment using SRME will improve breathing of children with SDB.

• Sleep Medicine and Psychophysiology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.32-37
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• 2017

Objectives: A supine sleep position increases sleep apneas compared to non-supine positions in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). However, supine position time (SPT) is not highly associated with apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) in OSAS. We evaluated the correlation among sleep-related variables and SPT in OSAS. Methods: A total of 365 men with OSAS were enrolled in this study. We analyzed how SPT was correlated with demographic data, sleep structure-related variables, OSAS-related variables and heart rate variability (HRV). Multiple linear regression analysis was conducted to investigate the factors that affected SPT. Results: SPT had the most significant correlation with total sleep time (TST ; r = 0.443, p < 0.001), followed by sleep efficiency (SE ; r = 0.300, p < 0.001). Snoring time (r = 0.238, p < 0.001), time at < 90% SpO2 (r = 0.188, p < 0.001), apnea-hypopnea index (AHI ; r = 0.180, p = 0.001) and oxygen desaturation index (ODI ; r = 0.149, p = 0.004) were significantly correlated with SPT. Multiple regression analysis revealed that TST (t = 7.781, p < 0.001), snoring time (t = 3.794, p < 0.001), AHI (t = 3.768, p < 0.001) and NN50 count (t = 1.993, p = 0.047) were associated with SPT. Conclusion: SPT was more highly associated with sleep structure-related parameters than OSAS-related variables. SPT was correlated with TST, SE, AHI, snoring time and NN50 count. This suggests that SPT is likely to be determined by sleep structure, HRV and the severity of OSAS.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.53 no.4
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• pp.249-258
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• 2015

Snoring and obstructive sleep apnea are the representative sleep disordered breathings, caused by the temporary and repetitive constriction or obstruction of upper airway during sleep. They present with excessively vibratory noise and repetitive cease of respiration. These disorders commonly result in sleep disturbance and the subsequent daytime sleepiness, chronic fatigue. Furthermore, they can cause the serious and extensive complications including increased risk of hypertension, cardiac arrhythmia, cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular accident, neurocognitive disturbance, traffic and occupational accidents, type II diabetes, childhood growth interruption, awakening headache and finally, relatively increased mortality rate. Because appropriate therapeutic intervention is best way for patients to relieve their symptoms and prevent their possible complications, it is very important for dentists to recognize their own role and responsibility in diagnosis and treatment of these disorders. For this, the present article provides the understanding of the clinical features, possible complications, various treatment modalities, and suitable treatment strategies for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.