Role of oral and maxillofacial surgeons in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea patients

clinical outcomes, there are few studies done by dentists. Since there are many things to be considered in applying dental approaches, oral and maxillofacial surgeons should play an important role in OSA treatment. For example, some patients using MAD suffer from complications related to temporomandibular joint (TMJ) or occlusion. Furthermore, there has yet to be a definite guideline for MAD application. In the past, it was recommended that the application of MAD be limited to patients with mild and moderate OSA. According to Lee et al., however, MAD is also effective for patients with severe OSA. The findings of their study serve as evidence that the severity of OSA may not be an independent prognostic factor of MAD treatment. It will be very helpful to have an exact guideline for MAD application for OSA patients, although establishing the indication is difficult because there are individual differences not only in anatomical structures but also in the functional ability of physiological adaptation in TMJ and dentition. Thinking reversely, from the viewpoint of airway obstruction, there may be higher risk of OSA among patients who underwent mandibular setback surgery to correct mandibular prognathism. Long-term follow-up is necessary for orthognathic patients to evaluate airway change and prevalence of snoring or OSA. The development of OSA treatment requires the active involvement of oral and maxillofacial surgeons in the field of sleep medicine including OSA. We hope many studies will be conducted with regard to the complications of dental approaches for OSA patients as well as clinical outcome.