Relief of Chronic Upper Airway Obstruction Using a Dental Prosthesis: A Nonsurgical Approach

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Abstract
The spectrum of symptoms of chronic upper airway obstruction ranges widely from merely annoying "noisy respirations" to death from heart failure secondary to cor pulmonale.1 The latter condition occurs because airway obstruction can lead to alveolar hypoventilation which results in hypoxia, hypercapnia, and acidosis which, in turn, produce pulmonary arteriolar construction.2 Chronic upper airway obstruction can also be a management problem for the pediatrician. Depending on the etiology and degree of symptoms, three treatment choices are usually considered: medical management, corrective surgery to recreate an airway; or tracheotomy to bypass the obstruction. We recently have seen a patient who demostrated chronic respiratory difficulty and ECG evidence of early right heart failure who benefited greatly by the use of a simple dental appliance.

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