title: Effects of occlusal stabilization splints on obstructive sleep apnea: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the influence of occlusal stabilization splints on sleep-related respiratory variables in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten OSA patients (47.3 ± 11.7 years of age) received a stabilization splint in the maxilla. All patients underwent three polysomnographic recordings with their splint in situ, and three recordings without their splint in situ, using a randomized crossover design.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Repeated-measures ANOVAs did not yield statistically significant differences in the Apnea-Hypopnea Index (AHI) or in the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), neither between the three nights without the stabilization splint (AHI: F = 2.757, P = .090; ESS: F = 0.153, P = .860) nor between the nights with the splint in situ (AHI: F = 0.815, P = .458; ESS: F = 0.231, P = .796). However, independent ANOVAs revealed that the mean AHI of the three nights with the stabilization splint in situ (17.4 ± 7.0 events/hour) was significantly higher than that of the nights without the splint in situ (15.9 ± 6.4 events/hour) (F = 7.203, P = .025). The mean increase in AHI with the splint in situ was 1.4 ± 1.7 (95% confidence interval = -1.9-4.7). No difference in ESS was found when both conditions were compared (F = 1.000, P = .343).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The use of an occlusal stabilization splint is associated with a risk of aggravation of OSA; however, the effect size was small, which reduces the clinical relevance of the study.
authors.affiliation: Department of Oral Kinesiology, Academic Centre for Dentistry, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. mnikolop@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nikolopoulou
authors.forename: Jari
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ahlberg
authors.forename: Corine M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Visscher
authors.forename: Hans L
authors.initials: HL
authors.lastname: Hamburger
authors.forename: Machiel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Naeije
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lobbezoo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D018592:Cross-Over Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017090:Occlusal Splints / Q000009:adverse effects*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D016037:Single-Blind Method; D020181:Sleep Apnea, Obstructive / Q000209:etiology*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014716:Vertical Dimension; D055815:Young Adult