Treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea from an Orthodontic Standpoint: A Narrative Review

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a sleep-related respiratory disorder that has a relatively high prevalence among children and adults. OSA has several anatomical and pathophysiological etiologies and is characterized by recurrent periods of narrowing of the pharynx and airway, increased resistance to airflow, and decreased or interrupted airflow during sleep. This disease has several complications which lead to decreased quality of life. Once diagnosed, orthodontists are able to prescribe various methods to treat the disease. The aim of the present study was to review effective orthodontic treatments and their advantages and disadvantages in treatment of OSA. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library databases were searched for relevant articles published in English until April 30, 2022. Articles on orthodontic treatments in patients with OSA were included. After assessment of studies, 60 articles were included in current review. Findings showed that treatment with oral appliances is effective in OSA patients. Due to the unwanted dental and skeletal side effects of oral appliances in long-term use, it seems better to have this treatment performed by an orthodontist to regularly monitor the occlusion of the teeth and, if necessary, to change the settings of the appliances. In patients with severe OSA, it is better to evaluate the effectiveness of appliance therapy and, if needed, perform surgical treatments.