Tools for quality of life assessment in patients with obstructive sleep apnea

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is found in 24% of men and 9% of older women. Given the high prevalence of the OSA syndrome and its effects on physical and mental function, the quality of life (QoL) in OSA has aroused great interest in the modern scientific literature. The interest in QoL in patients with OSA is so great that various studies are being conducted. The purpose of this article is to present the various tools for assessing QoL in patients with OSA. For the period January 2020 - June 2020, in the available database (PubMed, BioMedCentral, ScienceDirect, Scopus, Web of Science), a systematic analysis of scientific publications examining the assessment of QoL in patients with OSA was performed. This review illustrates the variety of tools used to study the assessment of health-related QoL and OSA. The published data in the research are mostly limited to the assessment of CPAP, and the effects on QoL after the performed surgical, dental and behavioral treatments for OSA remain largely unexplored

Investigation of voice characteristics and their modification in dental prosthetics

Each person's voice is unique. Voice quality is characterized by intelligibility of speech (correlation between voice pitch, volume, timbre and speech speed). Changes in the oral cavity due to tooth loss and resorption of processus alveolaris maxillae or processus alveolaris mandibulae can cause defects in the patient's voice and speech. When using incorrect or functionally low-quality dentures, other changes can be observed, such as skipping, replacing, distorting, adding sounds, as well as nasal speaking. Restrictions or changes in the normal movement of the jaws may interfere with the transmission of acoustic energy through the oral cavity, thereby affecting both the voice characteristics and capabilities, and the balance of the oral resonance. Phonetic adaptation of prosthetic patients depends on the choice and placement of artificial teeth, on the thickness, size and placement of the prosthetic base, optimal tongue space, individual adaptive ability, and the patient's ability to recognize the sound. This report presents the possibilities for maximum restoration of voice characteristics in effective collaboration between the dental team and specialists in otolaryngology and speech therapy