Obstructive sleep apnea: focus on myofunctional therapy
2018, São Paulo, Brazil, Review, PMID: 30233265, Cláudia Maria de Felício, Franciele Voltarelli da Silva Dias, Luciana Vitaliano Voi Trawitzki, -Source-
Purpose: Orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT) is a modality of treatment for children and adults with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) to promote changes in the musculature of the upper airways. This review summarizes and discusses the effects of OMT on OSA, the therapeutic programs employed, and their possible mechanisms of action.
Conclusion: The present review showed that OMT is effective for the treatment of adults in reducing the severity of OSA and snoring, and improving the quality of life. OMT is also successful for the treatment of children with residual apnea. In addition, OMT favors the adherence to continuous positive airway pressure. However, randomized and high-quality studies are still rare, and the effects of treatment should also be analyzed on a long-term basis, including measures showing if changes occurred in the musculature.
December 7, 2022