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Rehabilitative Approaches: Myofunctional Therapy and Retropalatal Narrowing and Snoring

Rehabilitative Approaches: Myofunctional Therapy and Retropalatal Narrowing and Snoring

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT06186687
Enrollment
17
Registered
2024-01-02
Start date
2022-09-01
Completion date
2023-02-28
Last updated
2024-01-05

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

Pharyngeal Collapse, Snoring

Keywords

Myofunctional therapy exercise, pharyngeal area collapse, snoring

Brief summary

Sleep is an important activity and snoring is the most often reported complaint. Snoring is also very common in the general population. Moreover, snoring can negatively impact bed companions' quality of sleep, daytime sleepiness, strain of relationships, social embarrassment and disturb mental health that in the end will reduce quality of life. Anatomical risk factors are believed to be one of major contributors to upper airway constriction during sleep. Treatment for this condition include lifestyle modifications (such as quitting alcohol or losing weight), positional therapy, mandibular advancement devices, upper airway surgery, and nasal continuous positive airway pressure. Myofunctional therapy (MT) as an adjunctive or alternative therapy can lower Apnea-Hypopnea Index in obstructive sleep apnea patients with pharyngeal dilator muscle collapse. Although these may be beneficial, the impact of MT on retropalatal narrowing as one of the snoring causes needs to be better established. This study was done to find out the impact of MT in people with snoring who have a collapsed pharynx that is located by a Flexible nasolaryngoscopy.

Detailed description

Sleep is an important activity; it makes up one-third of a person's life, and in sleep medicine clinics, snoring is the most often reported complaint. Snoring is also very common in the general population. Studies indicate that women have a higher incidence of this condition above 65 years, increasing after menopause, while men experience it between 45 and 64 years of age. While snoring may be a predictor of the more serious condition of obstructive sleep apnea, primary snoring is common. Moreover, snoring can negatively impact bed companions' quality of sleep, daytime sleepiness, strain of relationships, social embarrassment and disturb mental health that in the end will reduce quality of life. Anatomical risk factors are believed to be one of major contributors to upper airway constriction during sleep. Pharyngeal narrowing can be facilitated by anatomic characteristics such as a large neck circumference, soft tissue, bone, or arteries. Flexible nasolaryngoscopy (FN) is an alternative diagnosis to direct viewing of the airway, from the nasal cavity to the larynx area. Aside from being easier to perform and more affordable, a complete examination of the airway can identify the location of the pharyngeal narrowing that causes obstruction more specifically. Treatment for this condition include lifestyle modifications (such as quitting alcohol or losing weight), positional therapy, mandibular advancement devices, upper airway surgery, and nasal continuous positive airway pressure are among the treatments for treating snoring. Myofunctional therapy (MT) as an adjunctive or alternative therapy can lower Apnea-Hypopnea Index in obstructive sleep apnea patients with pharyngeal dilator muscle collapse. The exercises are non-invasive, cost-effective, and have physiological characteristics. Improvement in upper airway obstruction is supported by improvements in upper airway muscle tone. Although these may be beneficial, the impact of MT on retropalatal narrowing as one of the snoring causes needs to be better established. This study was done to find out the impact of MT in people with snoring who have a collapsed pharynx that is located by a FN.

Interventions

BEHAVIORALMyofunctional therapy exercise

Myofunctional therapy involves various exercises to train muscles in the soft palate, tongue, face, and pharynx. Vocal letters are used to train the palatopharyngeus, palatoglossus, uvula, tensor veli palatine, and levator veli palatine muscles. Tongue exercises involve sliding the tongue to the upper and side surfaces of the teeth, placing the tip in front of the palate, and pressing and sucking the tongue up to the palate. Face exercises involve inflating the cheeks, gargling, and sucking the cheeks to exercise the orbicularis oris muscle and the buccinator muscle. Icing stimulates the mouth, producing a cold, chilling, and numbing effect, causing reflexive contraction of the palate, tongue, and pharyngeal muscles.

Sponsors

Universitas Padjadjaran
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
NA
Intervention model
SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
MALE
Age
20 Years to 65 Years
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* high risk of OSA (STOP-Bang questionnaire ≥ 3 and Berlin Questionnaire score positive in ≥ 2 category) * Already diagnosed by an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist as having risk of obstructive sleep apnea based on the questionnaire and FN study that showed pharyngeal muscle collapse in the pharyngeal area (velopharyngeal area/retropalatal)

Exclusion criteria

* history of lung disease, * craniofacial anatomy abnormalities, * consuming drugs with sedative effects, alcohol, anti-depressants, or anti-anxiety groups in the last 3 months before

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Widening of retropalatal area6 weeksThe retropalatal area was evaluated with flexible nasolaryngoscopy before and after 6 weeks of myofunctional therapy exercise.
Symptoms of daytime sleepiness6 weeksSymptoms of daytime sleepiness was evaluated with Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) score before and after 6 weeks of myofunctional therapy exercise. The minimum values of the socre is 0 and the maximum value is 24. The higher the ESS score, the higher their 'daytime sleepiness', which gives a worse outcome.
Snoring intensity and frequency6 weeksSnoring intensity and frequency evaluation were taken from the Berlin questionnaire before and after 6 weeks of myofunctional therapy exercise.

Countries

Indonesia

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 4, 2026