Oral Devices For Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Literature Review

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a very common disorder seen in a lot of people. It is characterised by upper airway collapse, which leads to excessive fatigue, daytime sleepiness and disturbed sleep. There are different treatment approaches for treating OSA like behavioral management, medication, surgery, CPAP and oral devices. Among all the treatment options, the oral devices are the most preferred. There are many different types of oral devices, with different mechanisms. The most commonly used oral devices include the mandibular advancement or mandibular repositioning devices or tongue retracting devices. The mandibular advancement devices function by holding the mandible in protrusion position, which prevents its relapse and the tongue retracting devices function by retracting the tongue which prevents the retrusion of the mandible.