Clinical Insights Regarding Oral Health Among Untreated and Positive Airway Pressure Treated Obstructive Sleep Apnea Patients.

Abstract

Oral health-related side effects are common in patients with both untreated and PAP-treated OSA and can hinder adherence to PAP treatment. Despite extensive research on OSA and PAP, oral health experiences of PAP professionals remain unexplored. The aim was to describe PAP professionals' experiences and management of symptoms and treatment effects on oral health in patients with OSA before and during PAP treatment. The study has a qualitative design with an inductive approach, where 17 strategically selected PAP professionals (physicians, nurses, and biomedical scientists) at nine Swedish PAP clinics participated in semi-structured in-depth interviews. The data was analysed with content analysis. Four categories described PAP professionals' experiences before and during PAP treatment. The categories Acknowledging oral health aspects when exploring the clinical data and Exploring the patients' oral health-related experiences described the OSA diagnosis, intra-oral visual features, and shared signs between OSA and oral health. The categories Adjusting the PAP device related to oral health and Managing oral health-related situations during PAP treatment described the oral health-related challenges in patient collaboration and individualised PAP treatment. In conclusion, oral dryness was an oral health-related symptom of OSA and a side effect of PAP treatment, noted by PAP professionals. Management of oral health-related situations and treatment effects was difficult as there was a lack of knowledge and no established remedial routine.