Management of obstructive sleep apnea with a palatal lift prosthesis

Background This case report is presented to demonstrate the effects of a palatal lift prosthesis for the management of mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea. Materials and methods A patient suffering from obstructive sleep apnea (apnea hypopnea index=20.3) was fitted with a palatal lift prosthesis. The patient's chief concern was snoring and excessive daytime sleepiness which was successfully rehabilitated using a palatal lift appliance. Changes in the upper airway dimensions were measured by taking lateral cephalograms before placement of the prosthesis and 6 weeks after treatment. Results Before placement of the appliance the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score of the patient was 19 which was slightly above the borderline and 1 month after placement the ESS score was reduced to 9, i.e. within normal limits. Conclusions This treatment option significantly improved the upper airway passage dimensions and thus eliminated snoring and airway obstruction and also improved the overall quality of life of the patient.