Treatment success with a mandibular advancement device is related to supine-dependent sleep apnea

Study objective: To evaluate the effect of a mandibular advancement device in patients with supine-dependent sleep apnea and patients with non-supine- dependent sleep apnea, Design: Prospective study. Setting: Department of Respiratory Medicine, University Hospital, Umea, Swe den. Patients: Twenty-six patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Intervention: Individually fabricated and adjusted mandibular advancement d evices. Measurements: Over night polysomnographic sleep recordings with and without the device. Supine-dependent sleep apnea was defined when the supine apnea -hypopnea index was greater than or equal to 10, together with a lateral ap nea-hypopnea index of < 10, Non-supine-dependent sleep apnea was considered when the lateral apnea-hypopnea index was greater than or equal to 10, Results: In 12 patients with supine-dependent sleep apnea, the device reduc ed the supine apnea-hypopnea index from a median of 41 (range, 16 to 70) to 5.9 (range, 0.0 to 15) (p < 0.01), In 14 patients with non-supine-dependen t sleep apnea, the treatment reduced the supine apnea-hypopnea index from 4 4 (range, 1.8 to 73) to 21 (range, 6.3 to 60) (p < 0.05) and the lateral ap nea-hypopnea index from 21 (range, 12 to 70) to 4.5 (range, 0.0 to 31) (p < 0.01), The odds ratio for a successful apnea reduction to an apnea-hypopne a index of < 10 in both the supine and the lateral positions was 30 for sup ine-dependent sleep apnea adjusted for age, obesity, mandibular advancement , and mandibular opening (p < 0.01), Conclusion: Successful apnea reduction with a mandibular advancement device is highly related to supine-dependent sleep apnea.