1. Although obesity is one of the important risk factors for OSA, the mechanism behind its causality is not well understood. 2. In obese patients with OSA, weight loss should never be recommended as the sole treatment of OSA, but rather should be used in conjunction with other treatments such as CPAP or Oral Appliance Therapy. 3. Weight [...]

1. The effect of sleep position on the severity of OSA has been well established. 2. Positional OSA is defined as OSA with AHI in the supine position that is at least double the AHI in a nonsupine position. 3. The first reported attempt at positional therapy came from the wife of a patient who “sewed a pocket [...]

Orthodontic Treatment of OSA 1. In the pediatric population, it is well established that enlarged tonsils and adenoids contribute to sleep disordered breathing and malocclusion. 2. The literature is rich with scientific evidence that maxillary expansion is often curative in children as treatment for sleep-disordered breathing. 3. The capability of bony expansion of the facial bones in adults [...]

Oral Myofunctional Therapy for Treatment of OSA 1. There are twenty or more upper airway muscles, including muscles in the soft palate, tongue, and pharynx that play a major role in keeping the airway patent. 2. Oral myofunctional therapy consists of the retraining of oral and pharyngeal muscles or the strengthening of these muscles with the goal [...]

Nasal Resistive Devices for OSA Treatment 1. Multiple imaging studies (nasopharyngoscopy, fluoroscopy, cephalometric radiography, CT, MRI, echo imaging, computer fluid dynamics) have been done on the upper airway in patients with OSA to evaluate the site of obstruction, its timing in the respiratory cycle, and the response to different therapeutic modalities. 2. Studies have revealed that little [...]

Lifestyle Interventions in the Treatment of OSA Lifestyle interventions include dietary modification, behavioral therapy, and their combinations. Little data currently exist on the efficacy of weight loss via dietary management on OSA. Behavioral therapy refers to strategies that help set and achieve weight loss goals, manage stress, and improve healthy behaviors. Behavioral therapy is effective [...]