Response to letter to the Editor: Look at the elephant! Commentary on 'Prevalence of temporomandibular disorders in adult obstructive sleep apnoea patients: A cross-sectional controlled study'.

Obstructive sleep apnoea and temporomandibular disorders are complex pathologies. Considering dento-skeletal occlusion as their main predisposing factor could be detrimental for optimal patient care.

Prevalence of temporomandibular disorders in adult obstructive sleep apnoea patients: A cross-sectional controlled study.

BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is characterised by partial or complete obstruction of the upper airways during sleep and it has been associated with temporomandibular disorders (TMDs) on the basis of several pathophysiological hypotheses. OBJECTIVES: To assess the prevalence of TMDs in a population of patients affected by OSA compared to a control group of subjects not affected by OSA. METHODS: A cross-sectional controlled study was conducted on a group subjects studied by polygraphy (PG) at the snoring section of the ENT department, Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital - University of Bologna. Patients who received a diagnosis of OSA were included in the study group and subjects with a negative PG diagnosis for Sleep Disordered Breathing and PG respiratory pattern that did not suggest the occurrence of sleep disorders were enrolled in the control group. Both the subjects included in the study group and the control group underwent an examination following the Diagnostic Criteria for Temporomandibular Disorders Axis I and II. RESULTS: Forty-three OSA patients (29 M, 16 F, mean age 52.26 ± 11.40) and 43 healthy controls (25 M, 18 F, mean age 49.95 ± 7.59) were included in the study. No significant differences were found between groups in demographic data. TMD prevalence and Axis II results did not differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS: This paper does not highlight a higher prevalence of TMDs in adults with OSA compared to healthy controls. Further high-quality studies are needed to confirm the results and to give possible pathophysiological explanations, providing reliable evidence.

Online information on mandibular advancement device for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea: A content, quality and readability analysis.

BACKGROUND: Despite increasing scientific interest in the effectiveness of mandibular advancement device (MAD) for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA), laypeople lack knowledge about this treatment option. OBJECTIVES: To investigate content, quality and readability of the online information regarding MAD. METHODS: Google, Yahoo and Bing were searched for 'sleep apnea', 'mandibular advancement device' and 'oral appliance'. Websites were analysed for content (multidisciplinary care team, qualified dentist, treatment contraindications and side effects), as well as for quality (DISCERN instrument, HONcode) and readability scores (Flesch Reading Ease, FRE and Flesch-Kincaid Reading Grade, FKG). RESULTS: Totally, 155 websites were included: 53% from health professionals, 20% commercial, 17% academic and 10% from non-health professionals. Content was incomplete, especially for commercial ones. 71.61% websites failed to acknowledge treatment contraindications, approximately 40.00% did not mention side effects and the need for a multidisciplinary care team, while 22.58% did not address the need to consult a qualified dentist. Quality and reliability were poor. Mean DISCERN score was 39.93 (95% CI 37.90-41.96), with lower scores for commercial websites compared with others. Only nine websites displayed HONcode certification. Readability was quite difficult, with mean FRE score of 59.50 (95% CI 57.58-61.42) and mean FKG level of 6.92 (95% CI 6.64-7.21). CONCLUSION: Health care professionals should be aware that currently available online information do not fulfil the most important aspects of MAD therapy and may be difficult to understand by laypeople. This could contribute to cause delays in appropriate OSA care and unrealistic treatment expectations, increasing the risk of treatment discontinuation.

Dropout and adherence of obstructive sleep apnoea patients to mandibular advancement device therapy: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials with meta-analysis and meta-regression.

BACKGROUND: Mandibular advancement devices (MADs) are used as an alternative to continuous positive airways pressure to treat obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) patients, but to date, specific data on the adherence to MAD therapy are lacking. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present systematic review was to investigate the dropout rate and adherence of OSA patients to different custom-made (CM) and non-custom-made (NCM) MAD therapies. SEARCH METHODS: An electronic search was performed in MEDLINE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Scopus, LILACS and Web of Science. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) assessing the compliance to customised and not customised MADs in the treatment of adult OSA patients were included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: The quality of evidence was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) and the risk of bias by the Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias in RCT. The dropout rate of each study was computed and the adherence to MAD therapy in terms of hours per night and nights per week was extracted from each study. RESULTS: Thirty-two RCTs were included. The risk of bias resulted low in most of the studies. The GRADE scores indicated that the quality of evidence was from very low to moderate. The meta-analyses showed that the mean dropout rate did not significantly differ between CM and NCM MADs: The overall mean dropout rate was 0.171 [0.128-0.213] with a mean follow-up of 4.1 months. The hours per night adherence was significantly higher for CM MADs (6.418 [6.033-6.803]) compared to NCM MADs (5.107 [4.324-5.890]. The meta-regression showed that the dropout rate increases significantly during time (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: There is a very low to moderate quality of evidence that the dropout rate of MAD therapy is similar among CM and NCM MADs, that the dropout rate increases significantly during time and that CM MADs have higher hours per night adherence compared with NCM MAD. REGISTRATION: The study protocol was registered on PROSPERO (n. CRD42020199866).

Effectiveness of different mandibular advancement device designs in obstructive sleep apnoea therapy: A systematic review of randomised controlled trials with meta-analysis.

Mandibular advancement devices (MADs) are used to treat patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). To date, there are no data that identify the most effective MAD design for apnoea-hypopnea index (AHI) reduction. The purpose of this systematic review is to investigate the effectiveness of different MAD designs in AHI reduction and oxygen saturation improvement in OSA patients. An electronic search was performed in MEDLINE, Cochrane Database, Scopus, Web of Knowledge and LILACS. Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the reduction of AHI on adult patients wearing MAD for OSA were included. The quality of evidence was evaluated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) and the risk of bias by the Cochrane Collaboration's tool for assessing risk of bias in randomised controlled trial. The success rate of each study was computed: [(mean baseline AHI - mean AHI after treatment)/mean baseline AHI]. Fifty RCTs were included. The risk of bias resulted with some concerns in most of the studies. The GRADE scores indicated that the quality of evidence was very low. The meta-analysis showed a success rate with mono-bloc and duo-bloc MADs respectively of 0.821 [0.722-0.887] and 0.547 [0.443-0.637]. The mono-bloc compared with duo-bloc better improved the minimum oxygen saturation (10.048 [7.733-12.363] and 3.357 [2.290-4.423], respectively). There is a very low quality body of evidence that mono-bloc MADs are more effective in reducing AHI and improving minimum oxygen saturation compared with duo-bloc MADs. The study protocol was registered on PROSPERO (n. CRD42019118084).

Evidence from systematic reviews on photobiomodulation of human bone and stromal cells: Where do we stand?

This study summarizes the available evidence from systematic reviews on the in vitro effects of photobiomodulation on the proliferation and differentiation of human bone and stromal cells by appraising their methodological quality. Improvements for future studies are also highlighted, with particular emphasis on in vitro protocols and cell-related characteristics. Six reviews using explicit eligibility criteria and methods selected in order to minimize bias were included. There was no compelling evidence on the cellular mechanisms of action or treatment parameters of photobiomodulation; compliance with quality assessment was poor. A rigorous description of laser parameters (wavelength, power, beam spot size, power density, energy density, repetition rate, pulse duration or duty cycle, exposure duration, frequency of treatments, and total radiant energy), exposure conditions (methods to ensure a uniform irradiation and to avoid cross-irradiation, laser-cell culture surface distance, lid presence during irradiation) and cell-related characteristics (cell type or line, isolation and culture conditions, donor-related factors where applicable, tissue source, cell phenotype, cell density, number of cell passages in culture) should be included among eligibility criteria for study inclusion. These methodological improvements will maximize the contribution of in vitro studies on the effects of photobiomodulation on human bone and stromal cells to evidence-based translational research.

The effectiveness of mandibular advancement devices in the treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea in adults: a methodological quality assessment of systematic reviews.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There is growing interest in the use of mandibular advancement devices (MADs) for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). Many systematic reviews (SRs) have investigated their effectiveness, but the applicability of SR results is affected by their methodological quality. This study critically appraises the methodological quality of SRs on this topic using a more detailed and updated version of A MeaSurement Tool to Assess systematic Reviews (AMSTAR). MATERIALS AND METHODS: The literature was searched for SRs on MAD effectiveness in adults (≥18 years of age) for OSA treatment as compared with other non-surgical or surgical interventions or no intervention. Any objective or subjective measures of treatment outcome were considered eligible. AMSTAR2 was used to assess methodological quality. RESULTS: The literature search yielded 64 potential reports; 10 met the eligibility criteria. All SRs had more than one critical flaw in AMSTAR2, so their methodological quality was rated as critically low. The most common issues included non-registration of study protocol, absence of list of excluded studies, no acknowledgment of fundings of included studies, no impact of risk of bias on SR results or interpretation and discussion of results, and data extraction not in duplicate. LIMITATIONS: If a SR was not clearly identified by title or abstract as a SR or meta-analysis, it may have been missed during the screening process. CONCLUSIONS: The methodological quality of SRs was suboptimal and warrants further improvement in order to provide strong evidence of MAD effectiveness and increase applicability of SR results for clinical decision-making.

Skeletal and dental effects of surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND: Surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion (SARME) is a surgical technique developed to correct transverse discrepancies in skeletally mature patients. However, there is limited evidence concerning the immediate skeletal and dental changes obtained only due to SARME. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present systematic review is to investigate the immediate skeletal and dental effects of SARME in adult patients with transverse maxillary hypoplasia. SEARCH METHODS: An electronic search of the literature in MEDLINE, The Cochrane Library, Lilacs and Scopus databases was performed. SELECTION CRITERIA: Only randomized controlled trials (RCTs) studies investigating the skeletal and dental effects of SARME procedures in adult patients were included. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: The included studies received a methodological quality scoring according to the revised Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials. The quality of evidence was assessed by means of the Grading Recommendation Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) system. For each included study and for each analysed parameter, the difference in means and 95 per cent confidence interval was calculated between baseline and immediate post-expansion. A meta-analysis of original outcome data, if possible, was conducted. RESULTS: Nine articles were selected. The methodological quality ratings indicated that one study was at low risk of bias, seven presented some concerns and only one was at high risk of bias. In all the included studies, the SARME procedure resulted in a significant expansion of the maxillary transverse dimension. The meta-analysis compared skeletal and dental inter-molar width before and after treatment: the mean difference was of 3.3 mm (2.8-3.9) and 7.0 mm (6.1-7.8), respectively (P-value less than 0.001). The quality of evidence was low-moderate. CONCLUSIONS: SARME is effective in obtaining a significant expansion of the maxillary transverse dimension. However, the immediate SARME effect is mainly a molar expansion rather than a pure bone transverse widening of the maxilla. REGISTRATION: The review protocol was registered at PROSPERO database with the registration number CRD42018117967.

Effect of verbal and written information on pain perception in patients undergoing fixed orthodontic treatment: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Pain can discourage patients from seeking orthodontic treatment or compromise their compliance during therapy. OBJECTIVES: To determine the effects of verbal and written information on orthodontic pain after fixed appliance placement. TRIAL DESIGN: Two-arm parallel design randomized controlled trial. METHODS: Healthy adolescents with permanent dentition enrolled for orthodontic treatment were assigned to the study or control group using computer-generated random lists and allocation concealment with sealed envelopes. Participants completed baseline questionnaires to assess anxiety (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Trait Version, Form X-2) and somatosensory amplification (Somatosensory Amplification Scale). Brackets were placed in the maxillary arch, from first molar to first molar, and an Australian archwire 0.012 inch was used for alignment. General verbal information on orthodontic treatment was given to all patients by the same clinician. Participants included in the study group received also detailed verbal instructions on orthodontic pain together with a take-home information leaflet by another clinician. Outcome included assessments of pain intensity with a Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) on the day of appliance placement (Day 1, bedtime) and twice a day for the following 6 days (Day 2 to Day 7, morning, bedtime), and analgesic consumption. Participants, statistician, and clinicians who gave general verbal information on orthodontic treatment and instructions about how to score pain intensity were blinded to group assignment. RESULTS: Sixty patients were assigned to the study (n = 30, mean age: 15.4 ± 1.3 years) or control group (n = 30, mean age: 14.7 ± 3.2 years). At baseline, no significant between-group differences were present in terms of anxiety and somatosensory amplification. Orthodontic pain scores were significantly lower in the study group compared with the control one, at bedtime on Day 1 (P < 0.05) and in the morning of Day 2 (P < 0.01). No significant between-group differences were found in following measurements. Overall, analgesic consumption was significantly lower in study compared with the control (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: A combination of verbal and written information on orthodontic pain after placement of fixed appliances reduced patient's self-reported pain in the early stages. REGISTRATION: This study was not registered.

Dentoskeletal effects of oral appliance wear in obstructive sleep apnoea and snoring patients.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the dentoskeletal changes associated with long-term and continuous mandibular advancement device (MAD) use in sleep-related breathing disorder patients. METHODS: Cephalometric measurements and three-dimensional model analysis were performed at baseline and after 3.5 ± 1.1 years in 20 snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea patients treated with the Silensor® appliance. Intra-group differences were compared using paired t-test or Wilcoxon signed-rank test. A regression analysis was performed for variables that showed a statistically significant difference between time points to evaluate the influence of treatment time and patient's initial characteristics on their variations. The statistical significance was set at P < 0.05. RESULTS: At cephalometric assessment, the maxilla revealed a significant decrease in horizontal position (SNA: -0.4 ± 0.72 degree, P = 0.021) and a significant retroclination of the upper incisor (-1.59 ± 1.07 degree, P < 0.001), while the mandible displayed a significant downward rotation (0.88 ± 1.28 degree, P = 0.006) and a proclination of the lower incisor (2.27 ± 1.38 degree, P < 0.001). Model analysis showed a decrease in upper total space discrepancy (-0.66 ± 0.72 mm, P < 0.002), overjet (OJ; -0.34 ± 0.47 mm, P < 0.011), and overbite (-0.4 ± 0.52 mm, P < 0.004). In the regression analysis, treatment time influenced the lower incisor inclination (Beta = -0.713, P = 0.018) and OJ (Beta = -0.218, P = 0.018); patients' initial characteristics had an effect on OJ (Beta = -0.195, P = 0.011). LIMITATIONS: A larger sample size could increase the generalizability of the findings. CONCLUSION: MAD wear after a mean of 3.5 years determines statistically significant but clinically irrelevant dentoskeletal changes. Their potential occurrence should be thoroughly discussed with patients; regular follow-up visits by a specialist experienced in dental sleep medicine are also mandatory during treatment in addition to polysomnographic examinations.

Periodontal status after surgical-orthodontic treatment of labially impacted canines with different surgical techniques: A systematic review.

INTRODUCTION: Good periodontal status is essential for a successful treatment outcome of impacted maxillary canines. Whereas the surgical technique used for tooth uncovering has been shown not to affect the final periodontal status of palatally impacted canines, its effect on labially impacted canines is still unclear. METHODS: Searches of electronic databases through January 2015 and reference lists of relevant publications were used to identify studies evaluating the periodontal status of labially impacted canines after combined surgical-orthodontic treatment. Two reviewers independently screened the articles, extracted data, and ascertained the quality of the studies. RESULTS: Ninety-one studies were identified; 3 were included in the review. No included study examined the periodontal outcome of the closed eruption technique. Excisional uncovering was reported to have a detrimental effect on the periodontium (bleeding of the gingival margin, 29% vs 7% in the control group; gingival recession, -0.5 mm [SD, 1.0] vs -1.5 mm [SD, 0.8] in the control group; and width of keratinized gingiva, 2.6 mm [SD, 1.4] vs 4.1 mm [SD, 1.5] in the control group). Impacted canines uncovered with an apically positioned flap had periodontal outcomes comparable with those of untreated teeth. CONCLUSIONS: The current literature is insufficient to determine which surgical procedure is better for periodontal health for uncovering labially impacted canines.

Maxillary first premolar inclination in 8- to 11-year-old children: An observational cross-sectional study on panoramic radiographs.

INTRODUCTION: In this study, we examined first premolar inclination in a large sample. METHODS: First premolar inclination, canine inclination, and mesiodistal location were measured on 797 panoramic radiographs of orthodontically untreated children (ages, 8-11 years; 381 boys, 416 girls). The sample comprised 1496 premolars and 1496 canines. A linear mixed-effects model was used to determine the contribution of age, sex, canine inclination, canine sector location, second molar maturational stage (D-G), and dental arch side on premolar inclination. RESULTS: First premolar inclination values (medians and interquartile ranges) were 12.76° (8.12°-19.05°) at 8 years, 11.82° (7.87°-16.04°) at 9 years, 10.40° (6.38°-15.46°) at 10 years, and 9.03° (5.42°-12.81°) at 11 years; 13.86° (8.60°-18.78°) at stage D, 10.56° (7.39°-14.77°) at stage E, 10.43° (6.08°-15.09°) at stage F, and 8.00° (4.62°-10.74°) at stage G. The following equation was selected (Akaike information criteria = 424.99): first premolar inclination (°) = -2.211 + 2.240 (8 years) + 1.363 (9 years) + 0.955 (10 years) + 0.387 (canine inclination) + 0.902 (right side) + 2.320 (stage D) + 6.320 (sector 1) + 5.446 (sector 2) + 3.803 (sector 3). There was no difference between percentiles constructed by age and maturational stage. CONCLUSIONS: First premolar inclination decreases during the mixed dentition and is moderately correlated with canine inclination.

Periodontal Side Effect During Orthopedic Face Mask Therapy.

A 7-year-old patient exhibited gingival recession of tooth #41 and severe plaque accumulation after 3 months of face mask therapy. The recession improved only slightly after appropriate oral hygiene instructions and motivation. Decisive improvement began when the vertical chin pad extension was reduced to avoid pressure on the affected area.

Preeruptive changes in maxillary canine and first premolar inclinations: a retrospective study on panoramic radiographs.

INTRODUCTION: Because of the close anatomic proximity of the maxillary permanent canine and first premolar, we investigated the relationship between their preeruptive positional changes in this retrospective study. METHODS: Sixty-three pairs of panoramic radiographs obtained 12 to 24 months apart from nonorthodontic subjects between 8 and 10 years old were collected. Canine and premolar inclinations to the midline and mesiodistal sector locations were measured, and their changes over time were estimated. The relationship between changes in canine (Δα) and premolar inclinations (Δπ) was explored alone and after adjustment for intraosseous distance between the teeth (Sc-p) and months between radiographs (ΔM). RESULTS: Except for right canine sector, both canine and premolar inclinations and sectors showed significant differences between time points. Pearson partial correlation analysis showed a strong, positive correlation between Δα and Δπ after adjusting for Sc-p and ΔM (right: r = 0.766, P <0.05; left: r = 0.785; P <0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Canine and premolar inclinations and mesiodistal locations varied significantly between 8 and 10 years of age. The strong positive correlation between the preeruptive positional changes of the maxillary canine and the first premolar suggested that with a greater uprighting movement of the long axis of the premolar over time, there was greater uprighting of the long axis of the canine.

Antero-Posterior Mandibular Excursion in Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients Treated with Mandibular Advancement Device: A Retrospective Cohort Study.

Since obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) management with a mandibular advancement device (MAD) is likely to be life-long, potential changes in mandibular movements during therapy should be investigated. The purpose of this study was to use a method that has already been shown to be reliable in order to determine whether the range of antero-posterior mandibular excursion, the procedure upon which MAD titration is based, varies between baseline (T0) and at least 1 year of treatment (T1). The distance between maximal voluntary protrusion and maximal voluntary retrusion determined using the millimetric scale of the George Gauge was retrospectively collected from the medical records of 59 OSA patients treated with the MAD and compared between T0 and T1. A regression analysis was performed to evaluate the influence of treatment time, MAD therapeutic advancement and the patient's initial characteristics in excursion range variation. A statistically significant increase of 0.80 ± 1.52 mm (mean ± standard deviation, p < 0.001) was found for antero-posterior mandibular excursion. The longer the treatment time (p = 0.044) and the smaller the patient's mandibular excursion at T0 (p = 0.002), the greater the increase was. These findings could be explained by a muscle-tendon unit adaptation to the forward mandibular repositioning induced by the MAD. During MAD therapy, patients can develop a wider range of antero-posterior mandibular excursion, especially those with a smaller initial excursion capacity.

Effect of orthopedic and functional orthodontic treatment in children with obstructive sleep apnea: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Orthodontic treatment is suggested in growing individuals to correct transverse maxillary deficiency and mandibular retrusion. Since, as a secondary effect, these orthodontic procedures may improve pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), this systematic review assessed their effects on apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and oxygen saturation (SaO2). Twenty-five (25) manuscripts were included for qualitative synthesis, 19 were selected for quantitative synthesis. Five interventions were analyzed: rapid maxillary expansion (RME, 15 studies), mandibular advancement (MAA, five studies), myofunctional therapy (MT, four studies), and RME combined with MAA (one study). RME produced a significant AHI reduction and minimum SaO2 increase immediately after active treatment, at six and 12 months from baseline. A significant AHI reduction was also observed six and 12 months after the beginning of MAA treatment. MT showed positive effects, with different protocols. In this systematic review and meta-analysis of data from mainly uncontrolled studies, interceptive orthodontic treatments showed overall favorable effects on respiratory outcomes in pediatric OSA. However, due to the low to very low level of the body evidence, this treatment cannot be suggested as elective for OSA treatment. An orthodontic indication is needed to support this therapy and a careful monitoring is required to ensure positive improvement in OSA parameters.

Awareness and Sources of Knowledge about Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Cross Sectional Survey Study.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a multifactorial sleep breathing disorder, seriously impacting quality of life and involving approximately 1 billion of the world's population. It is characterized by episodes of total cessation of breathing or decreases in airflow during sleep. Available data suggest that most cases of OSA remain undiagnosed even in developed countries. This is due to a lack of widespread knowledge about this pathology and the medical morbidities and mortality it brings about, among both laypeople and physicians. Moreover, despite receiving indications about the need to undergo specific evaluations for OSA signs and symptoms, sometimes patients do not pay sufficient attention to the problem. This is probably due to a lack of correct information on these issues. The present investigation analyzed the level of knowledge about OSA pathology and the sources through which a group of OSA patients gained information on their condition. A survey of 92 patients diagnosed with OSA (mean age 60.55 ± 10.10) and referred to the Unit of Orthodontics and Dental Sleep Medicine of the University of Bologna was conducted by means of a questionnaire investigating sociodemographic characteristics, the level of general knowledge on OSA pathology and its possible medical consequences. Despite about two third (67.38%) of the population demonstrating extensive knowledge, remarkably, a group of subjects (20.65%) had poor awareness of the OSA condition. A statistically significant correlation emerged between the level of knowledge about OSA and the level of education (p = 0.002). A great effort should be made to improve the quality of information and the communication modalities for OSA to enable a fully appropriate awareness of the condition among patients.

Sleep Bruxism and Orofacial Pain in Patients with Sleep Disorders: A Controlled Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: The gold standard for the diagnosis of sleep bruxism (SB) is laboratory polysomnography (L-PSG) recording. However, many clinicians still define SB using patients' self-assessment and/or clinical tooth wear (TW). The purpose of this cross-sectional controlled study was to compare the prevalence of TW, head-neck muscles sensitivity and Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD) between SB and non-SB patients diagnosed with L-PSG in a cohort of patient with sleep disorders (SD). METHODS: 102 adult subjects with suspected SD underwent L-PSG recording to assess the presence of sleep disorder and SB. TW was clinically analyzed using TWES 2.0. The pressure pain threshold (PPT) of masticatory muscles were assessed using a Fisher algometer. Diagnostic criteria for TMD (DC/TMD) were used to evaluate the presence of TMD. SB self-assessment questionnaires were administered. TWES score, PPT, TMD prevalence and questionnaire results were compared between SB and non-SB patients. RESULTS: 22 SB patients and 66 non-SB patients with SD were included. No significant differences emerged between groups in regards to TW, the PPT values, or SB's self-assessment questionnaires as well the prevalence of TMD. CONCLUSION: in a SD population, TW is not pathognomonic of active SB and SB self-assessment is not reliable. There seems to be no correlation between SB, TMD and head/neck muscle sensitivity.

The Effect of Bite Raise on AHI Values in Adult Patients Affected by OSA: A Systematic Review with Meta-Regression.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a highly prevalent sleep breathing disorder characterized by the collapse of the pharyngeal walls that entails recurrent episodes of cessation of breathing or decrease in airflow while sleeping. This results in sleep fragmentation, decreased oxygen saturation and an increase in the partial pressure of carbon dioxide, causing excessive daytime sleepiness, hypertension and increased prevalence of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Mandibular advancement devices (MAD) represent a valid alternative therapy to Continuous Positive Airway Pressure, thrusting the mandible forward, increasing the lateral diameter of the pharynx and reducing the collapsibility of the airway. Several investigations have focused on the detection of the best mandibular advancement amount in terms of effectiveness and tolerance, but few and contrasting data are available on the role of occlusal bite raise in reducing the apnea/hypopnea index (AHI). The aim of this systematic review with meta-regression analysis was to investigate the effect of the bite raise of MAD on AHI values in adult patients affected by OSA. An electronic search was performed in MEDLINE, the Cochrane Database, Scopus, Web of Science and LILACS. Randomized controlled trials (RCT) investigating the effectiveness of MAD in OSA patients were included. The quality of evidence was evaluated with the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) and the risk of bias with the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool for randomized trials (RoB2). Six RCT were included. The success rate of each study was computed: (mean baseline AHI - mean post treatment AHI)/mean baseline AHI. The GRADE scores indicated that the quality of evidence was very low. The meta-regression analysis showed that there was no correlation between the occlusal bite raise and the AHI improvement.

Onychophagia and postorthodontic isolated gingival recession: diagnosis and treatment.

This clinical report describes the diagnosis and the management of isolated-type recession defects of complex etiology in 2 healthy postorthodontic patients. The lesions were confined to 1 mandibular incisor and were associated with an abnormal buccolingual inclination of the affected tooth despite a lingual retainer made with a round stainless steel twisted wire. After careful questioning, it was determined that the recession defects were indirect effects of habitual onychophagia. The concomitant fingernail-biting habit and the lingual bonded retainer led to the indirect development of bone dehiscence and, consequently, gingival recession.