Exploring OMT for residual obstructive sleep apnea in children

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Created On: 18/06/2025

Residual obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can persist in children even after surgical removal of upper airway obstructions like enlarged tonsils (adenotonsillectomy).

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Key take away

By addressing orofacial myofunctional issues, orofacial myofunctional therapy supports sleep and quality of life improvements in pediatric residual obstructive sleep apnea.

Background

Residual obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can persist in children even after surgical removal of upper airway obstructions like enlarged tonsils (adenotonsillectomy). Orofacial myofunctional therapy (OMT) is gaining popularity in dentistry as a non-invasive therapy but lacks robust evidence in pediatric OSA. This study evaluated OMT's effectiveness in improving subjective symptoms and objective sleep parameters in OSA.

Method

A total of 37 children found to have residual OSA after surgery were included in the study and split into two groups: 21 children underwent OMT, while 16 received no treatment. Assessments were executed at the beginning of the study, and then again at 1 and 3 months. Evaluations focused on mouth opening, symptom severity using the modified OSA-18 questionnaire, sleep quality through polysomnography, and orofacial function assessed via the Orofacial Myofunctional Evaluation with Scores (OMES).

Result

In OSA-affected children, OMT led to notable improvements compared to their pre-treatment state or no intervention. Specifically, mouth opening during sleep and OSA-18 total scores illustrated marked reductions following OMT. The therapy also significantly lowered the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), shortened the longest apnea and hypopnea episodes, reduced the proportion of time spent awake, and boosted the duration of deep sleep. Additionally, post-OMT assessments revealed substantial gains in the total OMES score, including its subdomains—appearance and posture, mobility, and functional performance.

Conclusion

OMT remarkably improved sleep and orofacial function in children with residual OSA, reducing mouth opening, OSA-18 scores, AHI, and increasing deep sleep duration. Additionally, OMES scores related to appearance, mobility, and function showed notable improvement post-therapy.