Relationship between edentulism and sleep apnea: a systematic review of the literature

Authors

Sinda AMMAR
Yosra MABROUK
Amel LABIDI
Lamia MANSOUR
Mounir TRABELSI

Abstract

Edentulism could be the cause of impaired respiratory function, especially during sleep. The aim of this systematic review of the literature was to study the relationship between edentulism and sleep apnea. The search was performed on MEDLINE (PubMed), with different Boolean equations. A manual search was also carried out. 19 articles were selected. 17 have shown that edentulism promotes the onset of obstructive sleep apnea. In 6 studies, an improvement in sleep apnea was noted with wearing the prosthesis at night, unlike the other 4 studies reported a deterioration in sleep quality with wearing the prosthesis. A strong relation was proven between obstructive sleep apnea and edentulism. This relationship has been justified mainly by the anatomical changes linked to the loss of teeth and responsible for the reduction of the retro-pharyngeal space.

Recommended Citation

AMMAR, Sinda; MABROUK, Yosra; LABIDI, Amel; MANSOUR, Lamia; and TRABELSI, Mounir (2021) "Relationship between edentulism and sleep apnea: a systematic review of the literature," International Arab Journal of Dentistry: Vol. 12: Iss. 1, Article 5.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.aaru.edu.jo/iajd/vol12/iss1/5