The Effects of Mandibular Repositioning on Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Abstract

There is an increased interest in treating sleep disorders by repositioning the mandible. Obstructive sleep apnea is one such disorder that may be improved by jaw repositioning, usually with an intraoral orthotic. This paper presents a report of such a case. A patient with a history of apnea was treated with an anterior repositioning appliance, and sleep study parameters were tested before and after the device was fitted.

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Notes on contributors

Allan K. Bernstein

Allan K. Bernstein, D.D.S.

Dr. Bernstein received his D.D.S. degree from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, in 1970, and completed an internship at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1971. He has been in private practice in Arizona since 1978 following seven years of private practice in Canada. He has received anumber of appointments to hospital staffs and acts as a consultant for several insurance companies as well as St. Luke's Hospital Pain and Stress Center.

Dr. Bernstein has presented numerous lectures on temporomandibular joint dysfunction and has written several published articles on that topic. He is a member of the American Dental Association, American Equilibration Society, Society for Occlusal Studies, Canadian Dental Association, and other professional organizations.

Richard M. Reidy

Richard M. Reidy, M.D.

Dr. Reidy received his M.D. degree from the Ohio State University College of Medicine in 1972. After his internship and residencies, he completed a pulmonary disease fellowship at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. He has been a member of the active and teaching staff at that hospital since 1978. He also serves as director of Sleep Disorders Center and has served on the staff of several other hospitals. He received the Outstanding Scientific Award from the American Medical Association in 1979 for his research on sleep apnea.

Dr. Reidy, who has been in private practice of pulmonary medicine in Phoenix since 1978, is a diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and the subspecialty board in Pulmonary Disease. He is a fellow in the American College of Chest Physicians and the Clinical Sleep Society. He is a member of several other professional organizations and is the author of other papers on sleep disorders.