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Have you or a loved one been diagnosed with sleep apnea? How big the tongue is in relation to the size of the mouth cavity may have a say in the success of sleep apnea treatment, say researchers at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine.

Using a mandibular advancement splint (MAS) is a minimally invasive and effective treatment for obstructive sleep apnea. It is considered as an alternative to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) using a breathing mask. However, dentists have found it a challenge to predict the efficacy of MAS treatment in their patients.

The solution may be in measuring the ratio between tongue volume and bony enclosure size in patients.

According to the findings of the research by Whitney Mostafiz, from the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, calculating the atio between tongue volume and size of mouth cavity in patients may help dentists estimate the extent of success when using oral appliances in treatment. The research project, done in collaboration with Sydney University, won the Graduate Student Research Award in June 2011 at the 19th Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine.

You can find more information on sleep apnea and other oral and dental health problems in the FreeDentistFinder.com article archive and use FreeDentistFinder.com network of quality dentists to find a dentist in your area.

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