From the Guidelines
Mild Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) can be effectively treated with mandibular advancement devices (MADs), positional therapy, and weight loss.
Treatment Options
- Mandibular Advancement Devices (MADs): MADs are recommended for patients with mild to moderate OSA, as they reduce sleep apnoeas and subjective daytime sleepiness, and improve quality of life compared to control treatments 1.
- Positional Therapy: Positional therapy using vibratory devices can be suggested for adult patients with mild or moderate position-dependent OSA, as defined by a supine AHI at least twice as high as the nonsupine AHI and no relevant nonsupine AHI (<15 events·h−1) 1.
- Weight Loss: Weight reduction is associated with a trend of improvement in breathing pattern, quality of sleep, and daytime sleepiness, and is recommended for obese patients with OSA, ideally to a BMI of 25 kg/m2 or less 1.
Additional Considerations
- CPAP Therapy: While CPAP is considered the gold-standard treatment for moderate to severe symptomatic OSA, it may not be necessary for mild cases, and alternative treatments like MADs and positional therapy can be considered 1.
- Lifestyle Modifications: Avoidance of alcohol and sedatives before bedtime, and physical exercise can also be beneficial for patients with mild OSA 1.
- Multidisciplinary Approach: Treatment options should always be discussed by a multidisciplinary team, including a qualified dentist, sleep unit, and sleep doctor 1.
From the Research
Treatments for Mild Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA)
- The following treatments are available for mild OSA:
- Lifestyle modifications, such as weight loss, which has been shown to be effective in reducing the severity of mild OSA 2
- Mandibular advancement devices (MAD), which can be more effective in mild OSA 3
- Positional therapy (PT), which can also be effective in mild OSA 3
- Oral appliance (OA) therapy, which can be used to treat mild, moderate, and severe OSA 4
- Oropharyngeal exercises, which have been shown to ameliorate OSA and snoring by 30-40% 4
- Nasal EPAP devices, which can reduce OSA severity by 53% 4
- The Winx device, which can provide successful therapy for 30-40% of OSA patients 4
- Surgical therapy options, such as various surgical procedures available for the treatment of primary snoring and mild to moderate OSA 5
- Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy is the standard treatment for moderate-to-severe OSA, but adherence can be limited, especially in patients with mild OSA 6, 4
- The choice of treatment for mild OSA should be based on the individual patient's symptoms and needs, and may involve a combination of lifestyle modifications, devices, and therapies 3