Comparative Evaluation of Upper Airway Dimensions and Oxygen Saturation in Completely Edentulous Patients with and Without Dentures
Background: Majority of the elderly people complain of difficulty in sleeping. Although the causes for the sleep disturbances may be multifactorial in nature, the sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is one of the primary disorder. The study was undertaken to study the effect of Complete Denture rehabilitation which could have profound impact on rehabilitation protocol on complete edentulous patients. Aim: The aim of this study is to Cephalometrically evaluate the effect of complete denture rehabilitation on upper airway dimensions and position of hyoid bone and also to examine if complete denture rehabilitation influences oxygen saturation and degree of sleepiness by overcoming upper airway collapsibility. Material and Method: 30 edentulous patients who complained of snoring during sleep were selected for the study. The baseline lateral cephalogram of all the patients were taken by asking the patient to attain the natural head position.MAS (Minimal Airway Space), PAS (Posterior Airway Space), SAS (Superior Airway Space), MP-H (Perpendicular distance from hyoid bone to mandibular plane) were also recorded. The patients were also subjected to pulse oximetry test to assess the oxygen saturation and ESS (Epworth Sleepiness Scale) to assess the day time sleepiness. All these subjects were rehabilitated using conventional complete denture fabricated using standard prosthodontic protocol and after 6-8 weeks they were subjected to same tests again with dentures in situ. Results: The results of this study showed no statistically significant difference on MAS (Minimal Airway Space), PAS (Posterior Airway Space), SAS (Superior Airway Space), MP-H (Perpendicular distance from hyoid bone to mandibular plane), ESS (Epworth Sleepiness Scale) and Oxygen saturation. Conclusion: Wearing the Complete Denture during night does not improve the airway space, oxygen saturation and day time sleepiness significantly when compared with edentulous patients.
