Snoring has always been viewed as a social problem and every comedian has poked fun at it. Almost everyone knows a friend or family member who can snore loud enough to shake the house! What is often see as a joking matter can actually be a sign that you are at risk for more serious problems. Snorers are 15 times more likely to develop oral cancer due to trauma in the throat region, and even higher if you smoke. More than 25% of snorers have sleep apnea and are not aware of it. Snoring prevents a bed partner from restful sleep. A study in England in 2012 showed that 62% of couples sleep in separate rooms due to snoring. The American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine published their “Spousal Support Snories” survey that clearly outlines the effects on couples when one snores. There are many forms of treatment for snoring, but the most effective and comfortable treatments includes the use of a dentist fitted oral appliance to hold the tongue forward during sleep. Almost all sleep apnea oral appliances treat snoring.
Snoring is caused by the uvula and the soft palate vibrating creating the characteristic house shaking sound. This vibration disturbs the airflow by creating turbulence in the airway. This reduces oxygen to the lungs, but not to the same degree as hypoxia. In severe snorers however, oxygen levels have been shown to drop as much as 10%!
Research Data for the Luco Hybrid OSA Appliance and Snoring:
The following table is the data from 30 patients studied in a sleep lab in an overnight sleep study that were treated with the Luco Hybrid OSA Appliance. The 2nd and 3rd columns refer to before and after hourly snore rates. The 4th column is the total time the patient slept for. The 5th and 6th columns show the total number of snores before and after for the sleep period of each patient. Of note, in all cases, some well into the thousands of snores per sleep period, the snoring was reduced to less than 10!
- patient 0001: hourly rate before 638 after 4, total nightly number 1593 before, 7 after
- patient 0005: hourly rate before 623 after 6, total nightly number 1898 before, 5 after
- patient 0009: hourly rate before 306 after 6 , total nightly number 1243 before, 2 after
- patient 0015: hourly rate before 387 after 2, total nightly number 3292 before, 2 after
- patient 0027: hourly rate before 310 after 6, total nightly number 1311 before, 8 after
(Click to Enlarge)
As can be seen in this table, the Luco Hybrid OSA Appliance is very effective at treating even the worst snoring.
The Luco Hybrid OSA Appliance is FDA market cleared in the USA for the treatment of snoring (as well as OSA) as a Class II Medical Device. In Canada, Europe and all other regions, it is cleared for the treatment of snoring as well as OSA and sleep-related bruxism as a Class I medical device. Dentists in most regions can prescribe this appliance for sleep-related bruxism without a medical referral. Practitioners should check their specific region for more information on this.
If you are interested in more information regarding snoring and sleep apnea, we suggest you investigate the Mayo Clinic’s website.
