Resolution of a Severe Grade of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome with Mandibular Advancement Device: A Case Report

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is a disorder of the sleep with episodes of the obstruction at the upper airway that can be recurrent, partial or complete. The continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the gold treatment for OSAS, but many patients do not tolerate this kind of treatment, and for this reason mandibular advancement device are used. A 55-year-old Caucasian man affected by severe OSAS [apnea-hypopnea index (AHI): 51, lowest saturation value (NADIR): 77%] came at Padua University Hospital Dental Clinic after ENT evaluation to consider an alternative treatment to CPAP. After a surgery treatment and the use of oral appliance (Somnodent, Somnomed Limited) associated with vertical elastics AHI improve to 2.4 and NADIR to 88%

Multidisciplinary Approach in a 12-Year-Old Patient Affected by Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea: a Case-Report

A 12-year-old boy shows a restless sleep and snoring episodes declaring himself tired during the day and the school lessons. On clinical examination the patient presents a second-class profile, a retrusive jaw with a small chin and an open nasolabial angle. From the intraoral examination a tonsillar hypertrophy is denoted. The patient is sent by the ear, nose, and throat specialist (ENT) and subsequently subjected to a polysomnography (PSG). The ENT decides to subject him to a tonsillectomy and the subsequent PSG shows an improvement in the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) pathology with an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) improved from 25.5 episodes/hr to 3.4 episodes/hr. Subsequently a orthodontic treatment with twin-block was start to further reduce the apnea episodes. The last PSG highlights the success of the treatment further lowering the AHI to 0.7 episodes/hr. This case report shows how a multidisciplinary approach to OSAS is fundamental also in the young patient and that the orthodontist carried out in this area a fundamental task both in diagnosis and treatment

Assessment of Oral Health in a Child Cohort of a Rural Zone of Ethiopia

Health conditions in a developing state such as Ethiopia are precarious; in addition to the extreme spread of infectious diseases such as AIDS, oral health is also affected by the scarce knowledge and possibility of treatment. This analysis considered 77 children aged 7 to 11 from a primary school in Guraghe in Ethiopia. The presence of plaque, calculus, and caries was evaluated. For each caries, the affected tooth and the site of onset were considered. Plaque was detected in 39% of the children, calculus in 22%, and dental caries in 48% of the patients. The cavities were found to be equally distributed between the two arches, with a prevalence of location in the deciduous teeth and in the occlusal area. The implementation of home oral hygiene education and the training of health professionals who successfully promote oral health is necessary