Efficiency of oro‐facial myofunctional therapy in treating obstructive sleep apnoea: A meta‐analysis of observational studies

The literature on oro-facial myofunctional therapy (OMT) in children and adults with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) was systematically reviewed to investigate the effects of OMT on patients with OSA by age and disease severity to verify the effect of OMT on OSA.All the comparative literature was retrieved from the PubMed, Embase and Cochrane libraries.We searched the articles published up to 12 February 2022 and followed the preferred reporting project for systematic review and meta-analysis of reports. The quality of the studies was evaluated using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale.Of the primary indicators for evaluating OSA, 13 studies reported on the apnoea index (AHI), showing a decrease in the mean standard deviation of AHI from before OMT to after OMT (p < .00001). The lowest oxygen saturation was reported in nine studies, and the mean standard deviation of the lowest oxygen saturation increased from before to after OMT (p = .0009). Ten studies reported the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), indicating that the mean standard deviation of the ESS decreased from before to after OMT (p < .00001). The subgroup analysis showed that the AHI scores indicating mild and moderate OSA were significantly reduced, and the AHI scores indicating severe OSA also decreased, but this was not statistically significant. The lowest oxygen saturation increased obviously in patients with both mild and moderate and severe OSA. Of the secondary indicators of OSA, there was a statistically significant improvement in snoring intensity (p = .0002).Oral and facial muscular function therapy can be used as a simple and non-invasive new technique to improve the AHI, minimum oxygen saturation, ESS, and snoring intensity in patients with mild and moderate OSA and the lowest oxygen saturation in patients with severe OSA.