Mandibular Advancement Devices for the Management of Snoring and Sleep Apnea. Attitudes of General Dentists and Medical Specialists to Provide Them

Rosa Emilia Gomez-Torres & Juan Alberto Aristizabal-Hoyos

Summary

The objective of this study was to determine the attitudes and awareness of dentists and medical specialists on the provision of mandibular advancement devices (MAD) for the treatment of snoring and sleep apnea. This is a cross-sectional descriptive observational study, where 53 dentists (general and specialists) and 5 sleep medicine specialists in the city of Guadalajara, Mexico were selected for convenience. The selected group answered a specific questionnaire developed by Jauhar et al., to know the attitude of dentists and medical specialists for the provision of MAD and other aspects related to snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). 94 % of dentists responded to be interested in training in snoring and OSA. And of the group of medical specialists, 80 % consider that dentists have a role in helping patients with snoring and OSA, 60 % believe that dentists can contribute to MAD and 40 % believe that dentists should refer a sleep specialist. There is a very positive attitude by the dentists to be part of the interdisciplinary group for the treatment of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea, but this study also shows that despite the willingness to use MAD, education and training is not enough. There is a positive attitude of specialist doctors who consider that dentists play an important role in helping patients with snoring or with sleep apnea, but it is evident that the majority do not use MAD as part of a possible treatment.

KEY WORDS: snoring, sleep apnea syndrome, obstructive apnea, occlusal splints.

How to cite this article

GOMEZ-TORRES, R. E.; ARISTIZABAL-HOYOS, J. A. Mandibular advancement devices for the management of snoring and sleep apnea: Attitudes of general dentists and medical specialists to provide them. Int. J. Odontostomat. 16(1):88-91, 2022.