Research and clinical practice have found that tooth mobility can be a side effect for patients with obstructive sleep apnea who are treated with oral appliance therapy. But a new longitudinal study of 18 participants suggests that clinicians may be able to avoid tooth mobility by prescribing precision hard-acrylic rigid oral appliances. The study received financial support from ProSomnus Sleep Technologies and utilized its hard-acrylic rigid ProSomnus Sleep Appliances.

“What is interesting about these results is that the ProSomnus Sleep Device is able to achieve excellent fit and retention without the use of ball clasps or soft liners and this enables successful control of tooth movement,” says study co-author Nikola Vranjes, DDS, in a release. “The ball clasps found on traditional OAT [oral appliance therapy] devices, though retentive, can create interproximal gaps, one of the side effects we are trying to avoid.”

Published in the Journal of Dental Sleep Medicine, this study showed that there was no significant tooth movement upon regular wear over a minimum 2-year period. What’s more, patients reported excellent acceptance and compliance during the time period reported. Patients were not fitted with a morning aligner.

“Managing side effects is critical to patient and physician acceptance of OAT; this research and the ProSomnus Sleep Device help reduce unwanted tooth movement as a barrier to treatment,” says Gene Santucci, DDS, study co-author. Therefore, it was important that at the University of Pacific in SF, we scanned all the models and made all the measurements blinding the patient data and time points to ensure the lowest level of bias.”

Edward T. Sall, DDS, MD, ProSomnus medical director, says, “As a referring physician, studies like this increase my confidence in prescribing OAT for patients with OSA. The results of the study are representative of what we observe clinically when a precision medical device for OAT is prescribed. It is encouraging to see companies utilizing technology to improve outcomes for patients with OSA.”