ABSTRACT
The last decade has seen the emergence of oral appliances in the clinical management of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). This has been driven by the need for simple and effective treatment options for these highly prevalent disorders. The idea of using a dental prosthesis to reduce upper airway obstruction is not new. Pierre Robin (1) described such a concept in children with life-threatening upper airway obstruction related to micrognathia and glossoptosis, well before OSA was even recognized as a disorder. The use of oral appliances for the treatment of sleeprelated upper airway obstruction was first reported some 25 years ago (2,3). A key milestone in the field was the systematic review conducted by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) a decade ago (4), highlighting the inadequacy of existing evidence at that time and the need for rigorous scientific evaluation. Whilst it has taken a relatively long time for the evidence base to reach a level that supports their use in clinical practice, that time has now arrived, and it is important for clinicians involved in the management of snoring and OSA to have a sound working knowledge about this treatment modality.
