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Comfortable and effective CPAP alternative
A comfortable, custom made SomnoDent oral appliance is a clinically proven and effective treatment for mild and moderate OSA and for those patients with severe OSA that can’t tolerate or won’t try CPAP.
Imagine the dawn of a new era in oral appliance therapy
Imagine if you could be assured that your patient received an oral device from their dentist. Assured they were being treated adequately with an oral appliance? Assured they were being compliant and happy with their therapy?
OSA/ Hypopnea & Obesity hypoventilation
On 20th August 2021, the new NICE Guidance “Obstructive sleep apnoea/hypopnoea syndrome and obesity hypoventilation syndrome in over 16s” clearly states that bespoke, dentally fitted oral devices are the recommended alternative to CPAP for the treatment of mild, moderate and severe sleep apnoea.
The Effectiveness Equation™
We’ve developed the Effectiveness Equation™ – a tool that allows you to simulate a night’s treatment for your patient on either CPAP or an oral appliance. While CPAP is an effective treatment for a compliant patient, patients who stop CPAP therapy during the night may not be well treated. As patients generally wear their oral appliances for most of the night, the reduction in AHI over the night’s sleep may be similar on both therapies.
Click the video on the left to find out more about the Effectiveness Equation™.
CPAP or oral appliances - What does the literature say?
For patients with mild OSA, the published clinical literature is clear – a custom made oral appliance is a good choice. For more information about treating your patients with mild OSA using an oral device, click the link below.
The SomnoMed® Medical Initiative
At SomnoMed®, we understand that in many markets, patients receive CPAP as first-line therapy for OSA treatment. Our Medical Initiative looks to address the reasons why oral appliance therapy is not prescribed as first-line therapy.
We help Sleep Physicians:
• To find a trusted sleep dentist they can work with in the long term.
• Address misconceptions about oral appliances
• Promote and conduct clinical research in oral appliances.
• Position oral appliances as a first-line therapy for mild and moderate OSA, and for patients who refuse or give up on CPAP.
We work equally with dentists and sleep Physicians to help them treat their patients and address the ever-increasing burden of OSA.
Custom-made versus off-the-shelf
Should I choose a custom-made oral appliance or an off-the-shelf “Boil and Bite” oral appliance for my patients?
A systematic review of 3 studies and 129 patients published in 2018 examined this question and found:
Custom-made oral appliances achieved a significantly greater (p = .01) reduction in AHI when compared with the off-the-shelf oral appliance (-3.52 events per hour).
There was a significantly worse treatment response with the off-the-shelf appliance (p = .004) defined as either partial (50% reduction in AHI) or complete response (AHI < 5 per hour).
The observed post-trial daytime sleepiness for the off-the-shelf device was higher (0.98), as determined by the ESS (p = .05).
Patient preference was significantly (p < .001) in favour of the custom-made oral appliance.
Patient adherence was also greater with the custom-made appliance, with two RCTs reporting patients wore custom made devices for more hours per night on more nights per week than off-the-shelf devices.
The conclusion from this study was that:
“Custom-made (oral appliances) offer clear definable advantages, demonstrating significant clinical effectiveness, patient preference and adherence.”
Reference: Johal et al “Ready-made versus custom-made mandibular advancement appliances in obstructive sleep apnea: A systematic review and meta-analysis” Sleep Res. 2018;27
