Endo-buccal orthoses represent an alternative to the reference treatment of obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSA), continuous positive pressure by nasal mask (CPAP).

These are mostly devices that position the lower jaw or mandible forward.
The impact of this mandibular advancement is twofold:

Firstly, it produces an advancement of the tongue, preventing the base of the tongue from obstructing the passage of air;

secondly, it puts back under tension all the walls of the pharynx which, in subjects predisposed to apnea or snoring, have a tendency to vibrate and to collapse, thus reducing or completely obstructing the air passage.

The effectiveness on snoring is real about nine times out of ten.

For OSA, nearly two out of three patients can be considered to respond very favorably to treatment.
For the remaining third, the response is insufficient to make the orthosis an alternative treatment to permanent CPAP.

Wearing mandibular advancement braces can cause tooth or gum sensitivity, salivation disorders, and painful tension in the joints or muscles of the jaw.

These problems rarely contraindicate the continuation of the treatment and depend largely on the conditions of implementation. The French National Authority for Health (HAS) specifies that the orthosis must be prescribed, like CPAP, by a sleep specialist. It must be performed by a practitioner with skills concerning both sleep and dysfunctions of the manducatory apparatus.

This therapy is simple, reversible and of moderate cost compared to CPAP; however, it is not possible at this time to predict the effectiveness of the device before its implementation.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSA) is an extremely common sleep disorder, affecting 4 to 7% of the adult population.