Myofunctional therapy to treat obstructive sleep apnoea

Aim: A new approach to obstructive sleep apnea and oral dysfunctions is reported, innovative diagnostic and treatment protocols are proposed, and its effectiveness must be determined, this study is focused on evaluating the knowledge of family physicians, general dentists, and oral hygienists about myofunctional therapy (MT) and its use for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea. Materials and methods: The study sample consisted of 208 individuals: 64 family physicians, 89 orthodontists and general dentists, and 55 dental hygienists, all participants had longer than 5 years clinical practice. The participants filled a digital questionnaire, which consisted of thirty-eight questions and was divided into 3 parts. The first part presented sociodemographic findings, in the second part general knowledge regarding myofunctional therapy was assessed; in the third, the frequency of applying myofunctional therapy for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea was evaluated. Statistical analysis was performed with SPSS/w 22.0, the chi-square (χ2) criterion was calculated, and the z-test by the Bonferroni method and the McNemar test were applied. Results: After evaluating knowledge about obstructive sleep apnea and myofunctional therapy, differences among respondents were found: oral hygienists (49%) demonstrated less knowledge than general dentists and orthodontists (73%), and family physicians (61%), p<0,05 (Fig.1,2). Dentists' knowledge about certain methods of treating obstructive sleep apnea in adults and children was better than that of family physicians and dental hygienists (p<0,05) (Fig.1,3). Sufficient knowledge about myofunctional therapy for increasing the volume of the upper airway was demonstrated by 48% of respondents (Fig.2,4). Specialists (14%) recommended MT exercises for treatment of obstructive sleep apnea and its advantage that the patient is an active participant in his health care (Fig.4,5). [...].