[The effectiveness of an individual mandibular advancement splint (MAS) in subjects with obstructive tongue-base-snoring]

The value of a mandibular repositioning appliance for the treatment of nonapneic snoring

In this evidence-based case report, the authors addressed the following clinical question: What is the effect of a mandibular repositioning appliance (MRA) in patients with nonapneic snoring on the snoring loudness, partners' sleep disturbance, and quality of life? The authors retrieved relevant publications from Embase, PubMed, Cinahl, CENTRAL, and Web of Science. They used title and abstract field searches with relevant synonyms for the domain, patients with nonapneic snoring, and for the determinant, MRA. The search yielded 499 records. After selection based on relevance and validity, 2 articles remained for answering the authors' clinical question. The authors pooled the data for the level of snoring. MRA as compared to placebo resulted in a reduction of snoring loudness in 38% of patients with nonapneic snoring and in an improvement of sleep disturbance in 54% of the partners. No effect on quality of life and daytime sleepiness of partners was found. Furthermore, evidence for sustained long-term effects and complete recovery is lacking.