CPAP combined with oral appliance therapy reduces CPAP requirements and pharyngeal pressure swings in obstructive sleep apnea

Abstract

Combined CPAP and oral appliance therapy has been suggested as an alternative for incomplete responders to oral appliance therapy. We used a novel oral appliance incorporating an oral airway together with CPAP to show that pharyngeal pressure swings were normalized at reduced CPAP levels. Our findings demonstrate that using CPAP and oral appliance together may be a beneficial alternative for incomplete responders to oral appliance therapy and intolerant CPAP users due to high-pressure requirements.