Changes in craniofacial and airway morphology as well as quality of life after passive myofunctional therapy in children with obstructive sleep apnea: a comparative cohort study

Purpose To examine the craniofacial and airway morphology as well as the quality of life before and after passive myofunctional therapy (PMFT) for 1 year in children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Methods Forty children with OSA wearing an oral device nightly (treatment group) and seventeen without the device (control group) were followed up for 1 year. Lateral cephalometric radiography, polysomnography (without participants wearing the oral device), and quality of life survey (OSA-18) were performed before and after the study period. Results The apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) during sleep, REM AHI, hypopnea count, and desaturation count in the treatment group dropped significantly, compared with the control group. The craniofacial linear measurements increased significantly in both groups, while the length of mandible (Co-Gn) and anterior facial height (N-Me) became significantly larger in the treatment group. For the airway morphology, the intergroup comparison showed that OPha-Ophp (distance between anterior and posterior sides of oropharynx) increased significantly in the treatment group. For quality of life, the intergroup comparison found statistically significant improvements in the following in the treatment group, based on the OSA-18 survey: loud snoring, dysphagia, mood swings, discipline problems, difficulty awakening, total score for the emotional distress portion, and total survey score. Conclusions Preliminary evidence is substantiated for the benefits of 1-year PMFT using an oral device with a built-in tongue bead, including improvements in nasal breathing during sleep, mandible linear growth (Co-Gn and N-Me), airway morphology (OPha-Ophp), and patients’ quality of life.