Acoustic pharyngometry - A new method to facilitate oral appliance therapy

Background There is lack of reliable and accurate methods to predict treatment outcomes of oral appliance (OA) treatment. Acoustic pharyngometry (AP) is a non-invasive technique to evaluate the volume and minimal cross-sectional area of the upper airway, which may prove useful to locate the optimal position of OAs. Objective This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the effect of applying AP to OA treatment of patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Methods All patients (n = 244) treated with OAs following an AP protocol at two dental clinics between 2013 and 2018 were invited to participate. A total of 129 patients accepted the invitation, and 120 patients (75 men, 45 women) were included in the analyses. Mean baseline age, BMI and apnoea hypopnea index (AHI) were 59.1 ± 0.9 years, 27.8 ± 0.4 and 21.9 ± 1.1, respectively. Mean follow-up time was 318 ± 24 days. Results AHI at follow-up was 6.4 ± 0.7, resulting in a treatment success rate of 86.7% (≥50% reduction of baseline AHI). The number of failures ( 5 hours usage per night, when worn. Conclusion The AP protocol applied seems to contribute to the excellent effect of OA treatment in this study. Further research on the application of AP in OA treatment is necessary in order to clarify its possible beneficial contribution to improving OA therapy.publishedVersio

Oral appliance treatment in moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnoea patients non-adherent to CPAP

The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the effect of individually adjusted custom-made mandibular advancement device/oral appliance (OA) in treatment of patients with moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), who were non-adherent to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. During 2007-2013, 116 patients with moderate (n = 82) and severe (n = 34) OSA non-adherent to CPAP treatment were referred for dental management with an individually adjusted OA at a specialist sleep clinic. Ten of the participants (8·6%) were lost to follow-up, leaving the data set to consist of 106 patients (71 men/35 women, mean age 57 year, range 28-90). Nocturnal respiratory polygraphic recordings were performed at baseline and follow-up. Average time between baseline polygraphy and follow-up was 12 months. A successful OA treatment outcome was based on polygraphy at the follow-up and divided into three groups: 1 = AHI 50% reduction in baseline AHI; and 3. >50% reduction in baseline AHI. If there was a ≤ 50% reduction in baseline AHI at the follow-up, the treatment was considered as a failure. The overall treatment success rate was 75%. There was no significant difference in success rates between patients in the moderate and severe categories (69% and 77%, respectively). Low oxygen saturation (SpO2 nadir) had a high predictive value for OA treatment failure. OA treatment of patients non-adherent to CPAP is efficient and especially promising for the severe OSA group who are at greatest risks for developing serious comorbidities, if left untreated

Sleep bruxism in individuals with and without attrition-type tooth wear: An exploratory matched case-control electromyographic study

OBJECTIVES: To examine if there is a difference in possible sleep bruxism activity (SB) in subjects with or without attrition-type tooth wear. METHODS: Sixteen individuals with pronounced attritional-type tooth wear were compared with sex and aged matched controls without tooth wear by means of measurement of electromyographic (EMG) activity during a minimum of four consecutive nights of sleep. Mean age and range for the study- and control- group was 23.7 years (range 19.9-28.5) and 23.6 years (range 20.3-27.9), respectively. There were 11 females and five males in each of the two groups. The attrition group presented incisal/occlusal attrition wear into dentin and matching wear facets between opposing anterior teeth. The controls had negligible signs of incisal/occlusal wear and a minimal number of matching wear facets. RESULTS: The prevalence of both self-reported and partner-reported SB was significantly more common in the attrition group compared to the controls (P=0.04 and P=0.007, respectively). Self-reported morning facial pain was similarly more common in the attrition group (P=0.014). Maximum opening capacity, number of muscles painful to palpation, salivary flow rate and buffering capacity were not significantly different between the groups. Interestingly, none of the measures of jaw muscle EMG activity during sleep, as recorded by the portable EMG equipment, differed significantly between the attrition group and the matched controls (P>0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The results from this exploratory study suggest that there is no difference in EMG activity between subjects with and without attrition-type tooth wear. Further research is needed in order to substantiate these preliminary findings

Acoustic pharyngometry - A new method to facilitate oral appliance therapy

Background There is lack of reliable and accurate methods to predict treatment outcomes of oral appliance (OA) treatment. Acoustic pharyngometry (AP) is a non-invasive technique to evaluate the volume and minimal cross-sectional area of the upper airway, which may prove useful to locate the optimal position of OAs. Objective This retrospective study aimed to evaluate the effect of applying AP to OA treatment of patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Methods All patients (n = 244) treated with OAs following an AP protocol at two dental clinics between 2013 and 2018 were invited to participate. A total of 129 patients accepted the invitation, and 120 patients (75 men, 45 women) were included in the analyses. Mean baseline age, BMI and apnoea hypopnea index (AHI) were 59.1 ± 0.9 years, 27.8 ± 0.4 and 21.9 ± 1.1, respectively. Mean follow-up time was 318 ± 24 days. Results AHI at follow-up was 6.4 ± 0.7, resulting in a treatment success rate of 86.7% (≥50% reduction of baseline AHI). The number of failures ( 5 hours usage per night, when worn. Conclusion The AP protocol applied seems to contribute to the excellent effect of OA treatment in this study. Further research on the application of AP in OA treatment is necessary in order to clarify its possible beneficial contribution to improving OA therapy

Search for Scalar Diphoton Resonances in the Mass Range 65−60065-600 GeV with the ATLAS Detector in pppp Collision Data at s\sqrt{s} = 8 TeVTeV

A search for scalar particles decaying via narrow resonances into two photons in the mass range 65–600 GeV is performed using $20.3\text{}\text{}{\mathrm{fb}}^{-1}$ of $\sqrt{s}=8\text{}\text{}\mathrm{TeV}$ $pp$ collision data collected with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. The recently discovered Higgs boson is treated as a background. No significant evidence for an additional signal is observed. The results are presented as limits at the 95% confidence level on the production cross section of a scalar boson times branching ratio into two photons, in a fiducial volume where the reconstruction efficiency is approximately independent of the event topology. The upper limits set extend over a considerably wider mass range than previous searches

Measurements of the Total and Differential Higgs Boson Production Cross Sections Combining the H??????? and H???ZZ*???4??? Decay Channels at s\sqrt{s}=8??????TeV with the ATLAS Detector

Measurements of the total and differential cross sections of Higgs boson production are performed using 20.3~fb$^{-1}$ of $pp$ collisions produced by the Large Hadron Collider at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 8$ TeV and recorded by the ATLAS detector. Cross sections are obtained from measured $H \rightarrow \gamma \gamma$ and $H \rightarrow ZZ ^{*}\rightarrow 4\ell$ event yields, which are combined accounting for detector efficiencies, fiducial acceptances and branching fractions. Differential cross sections are reported as a function of Higgs boson transverse momentum, Higgs boson rapidity, number of jets in the event, and transverse momentum of the leading jet. The total production cross section is determined to be $\sigma_{pp \to H} = 33.0 \pm 5.3 \, ({\rm stat}) \pm 1.6 \, ({\rm sys}) \mathrm{pb}$. The measurements are compared to state-of-the-art predictions.Measurements of the total and differential cross sections of Higgs boson production are performed using 20.3  fb-1 of pp collisions produced by the Large Hadron Collider at a center-of-mass energy of s=8  TeV and recorded by the ATLAS detector. Cross sections are obtained from measured H→γγ and H→ZZ*→4ℓ event yields, which are combined accounting for detector efficiencies, fiducial acceptances, and branching fractions. Differential cross sections are reported as a function of Higgs boson transverse momentum, Higgs boson rapidity, number of jets in the event, and transverse momentum of the leading jet. The total production cross section is determined to be σpp→H=33.0±5.3 (stat)±1.6 (syst)  pb. The measurements are compared to state-of-the-art predictions.Measurements of the total and differential cross sections of Higgs boson production are performed using 20.3 fb$^{-1}$ of $pp$ collisions produced by the Large Hadron Collider at a center-of-mass energy of $\sqrt{s} = 8$ TeV and recorded by the ATLAS detector. Cross sections are obtained from measured $H \rightarrow \gamma \gamma$ and $H \rightarrow ZZ ^{*}\rightarrow 4\ell$ event yields, which are combined accounting for detector efficiencies, fiducial acceptances and branching fractions. Differential cross sections are reported as a function of Higgs boson transverse momentum, Higgs boson rapidity, number of jets in the event, and transverse momentum of the leading jet. The total production cross section is determined to be $\sigma_{pp \to H} = 33.0 \pm 5.3 \, ({\rm stat}) \pm 1.6 \, ({\rm sys}) \mathrm{pb}$. The measurements are compared to state-of-the-art predictions

Search for Higgs and ZZ Boson Decays to J/ψγJ/\psi\gamma and Υ(nS)γ\Upsilon(nS)\gamma with the ATLAS Detector

A search for the decays of the Higgs and $Z$ bosons to $J/\psi\gamma$ and $\Upsilon(nS)\gamma$ ($n=1,2,3$) is performed with $pp$ collision data samples corresponding to integrated luminosities of up to $20.3\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ collected at $\sqrt{s}=8\mathrm{TeV}$ with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. No significant excess of events is observed above expected backgrounds and 95% CL upper limits are placed on the branching fractions. In the $J/\psi\gamma$ final state the limits are $1.5\times10^{-3}$ and $2.6\times10^{-6}$ for the Higgs and $Z$ bosons, respectively, while in the $\Upsilon(1S,2S,3S)\,\gamma$ final states the limits are $(1.3,1.9,1.3)\times10^{-3}$ and $(3.4,6.5,5.4)\times10^{-6}$, respectively