Introduction
obstructions of the upper airway, hypopnea, OSA, apnea, arousals, sleep-related breathing disorder
SLEEP-RELATED BREATHING DISORDERS, OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA, SECONDARY
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep-related breathing disorder characterized by recurrent complete (i.e., apnea) and partial (i.e., hypopnea) obstructions of the upper airway, often resulting in oxygen desaturations and arousals from sleep [The rationale behind the efficacy of MADs is that advancement of the mandible and tongue improves upper airway patency during sleep by enlarging the upper airway and by decreasing upper airway collapsibility [Since the primary working mechanism of MAD is to improve the upper airway dimensions, we hypothesized the following: (1) with MAD in situ, responders will show a larger improvement of the upper airway dimensions compared to non-responders; and (2) the improvement of the upper airway dimensions is positively associated with the improvement in the AHI. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to compare the effects of MAD therapy on the upper airway dimensions between responders and non-responders with mild to moderate OSA based on CBCT images in the supine position. The secondary aim was to investigate the correlations between the changes in upper airway dimensions and the changes in AHI in the total group.