Severe Obstructive Sleep Apnea Managed with Mandibular Advancement Device in Pediatrics: An Interdisciplinary Case Report

Abstract

Mandibular advancement devices (MADs) may enhance upper airway patency during sleep by enlarging the upper airway and/or by decreasing upper airway collapsibility, thereby helping to prevent obstruction of the upper airway. Although MADs are commonly used for the management of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in adults, their use in pediatric patients is less common, with limited information available regarding their efficacy. However, for pediatric patients in whom continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) has failed, who are interested in nonsurgical interventions, or who are awaiting future surgical interventions, an MAD may be an option. This report details one such case, and the successful treatment of OSA with an MAD after failure to tolerate CPAP in a pediatric patient awaiting orthognathic surgery.