Evaluation of Mandibular Advancement Devices in Patients Suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Periodontitis

The Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSA) concerns episodes of complete or partial obstruction of the upper airway. Mandibular Advancement Device (MAD) is one of the most used systems for treating this syndrome. Clinicians frequently observe a combination of OSA and periodontitis. There is no research aiming to evaluate how periodontitis staging affects the overall mandibular and maxillary dental arches in the literature. Furthermore, no one has studied the combination between OSA and periodontitis and the effects of MADs on the patients in this condition. This paper aims to develop a numerical simulation approach based on FEM and evaluate the consequences (displacement and stress fields) of the periodontitis staging on PDL and teeth of patients suffering from OSA and treated with MADs. Simulations have been performed for evaluating Stage I of periodontitis. Results highlight a correlation between bone resorption and teeth displacement and periodontal ligaments stress (the higher the bone resorption, the higher the stress and displacement).