Description

Background: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is a sleeping disorder with recurrent upper airway obstruction during sleep. Patients with OSA often suffer from daytime sleepiness, snoring, and interrupted breathing during sleep. The etiology of OSA can divide into anatomical causes, including narrow, crowded, or easily collapsible upper airway, and non-anatomical causes, including low respiratory arousal threshold, ineffective or reduced pharyngeal dilator muscle activity during sleep, and unstable ventilatory control. A mandibular advancement device (MAD) is one of the treatment options for mild to moderate OSA patients. Oropharyngeal exercises (OE) are a novel intervention targeted at internal/external tongue muscle training with significant improvements in the muscle tension and severity of OSA. The efficacy of combined treatment with MAD and OE has not been investigated. Thus, the present study aims to determine the effectiveness of combing MAD and OE by assessing the tongue function and severity of OSA in patients with OSA.

Methods: A total of 20 participants using MAD for OSA were included in the study. Participants will be divided into two groups: the treatment group with the 12-week OE. OE consists of one to three times 30-minute sessions per day, 3 to 5 days per week for 12 weeks. The weekly clinic visits are required to adjust the intensity of the home exercise program and monitor the training progress. The participants in two groups will receive polysomnography (PSG) test, tongue muscle strength, and endurance testing, at baseline and after the intervention.

Expected results: Combined treatment with MAD and OE for adult patients with mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea can significantly (i) improve muscle strength and endurance; (ii) reduce the severity of sleep apnea