SynthesisSleep2015
Myofunctional Therapy to Treat Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Sleep, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 6 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 140 papers, 16 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Transoral Daytime Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation in Patients With Simple Snoring
Effects of Myofunctional Therapy With an M-health Application Airway Gym in Severe Apnea/Hypopnea Sleep Obstructive Syndrome: A Randomized Multicentre Control Trial
Effect of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy on Unintentional Air Leak From the Oral Cavity in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea Treated With Continuous Positive Upper Airway Pressure (CPAP)
A Comparison of Three Different Forms of Oral Myofunctional Training (OMT) as Methods for Reducing Snoring and Mild to Moderate Sleep Apnea
The Effect of Self-care Emphasizing on Balloon-Blowing Exercise Program on Severity of Sleep Apnea and Respiratory Muscle Strength Among School Age Children With Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Isolated and Combined Effects of Orofacial Myofunctional Therapy and Continuous Positive Airway Pressure on the Apnea-Hypopnea Index and Mandibular Excursion in Adults With Mild-to-Moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea: The OMPACT-OSA Randomized Controlled Trial
Who cites it
140 citing papers in PubMed, 16 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 387 citations in OpenAlex.
- Effects of inspiratory muscle training in adults with obesity and obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic review.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2026Pooled it
- Mandibular Oral Tori Predict the Presence but Not the Severity of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea. A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Literature.Journal of oral rehabilitation · 2025Pooled it
- International expert consensus statement: surgical failure in obstructive sleep apnea.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2024Pooled it
- Assessment and rehabilitation of tongue motor skills with myofunctional therapy in obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2024Pooled it
- Effectiveness of Myofunctional Therapy in Ankyloglossia: A Systematic Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Pooled it
- The global prevalence of oropharyngeal dysphagia in different populations: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of translational medicine · 2022Pooled it
- Dynamic sleep MRI in obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2022Pooled it
- The effect of playing a wind instrument or singing on risk of sleep apnea: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2020Pooled it
- Effects of respiratory muscle therapy on obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2020Pooled it
- Oropharyngeal and tongue exercises (myofunctional therapy) for snoring: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2018Pooled it
- Dexmedetomidine versus propofol during drug-induced sleep endoscopy and sedation: a systematic review.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2017Pooled it
- Tongue surgeries for pediatric obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2017Pooled it
- Transpalatal advancement pharyngoplasty for obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2017Pooled it
- Effectiveness of oral pressure therapy in obstructive sleep apnea: a systematic analysis.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2016Pooled it
- Nasal Dilators (Breathe Right Strips and NoZovent) for Snoring and OSA: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Pulmonary medicine · 2016Pooled it
- A systematic review of smartphone applications and devices for obstructive sleep apnea.Brazilian journal of otorhinolaryngologyPooled it
- Effectiveness of strenghtning oropharyngeal myofunctional therapy combined with cervical spine exercises in mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnoea.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2025Trial
- Effects of steam-assisted respiratory muscle training on sleep apnoea symptoms and pulmonary function in men and women: a pilot study.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2025Trial
- The effect of tongue elevation muscle training in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: A randomised controlled trial.Journal of oral rehabilitation · 2022Trial
- The effect of oropharyngeal exercise in patients with moderate and severe obstructive sleep apnea using CPAP: a randomized controlled study.Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung · 2022Trial
80 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors at 5 institutions in 3 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectiveTo systematically review the literature for articles evaluating myofunctional therapy (MT) as treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in children and adults and to perform a meta-analysis on the polysomnographic, snoring, and sleepiness data. DATA SOURCES: Web of Science, Scopus, MEDLINE, and The Cochrane Library. REVIEW
methodsThe searches were performed through June 18, 2014. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement was followed.
resultsNine adult studies (120 patients) reported polysomnography, snoring, and/or sleepiness outcomes. The pre- and post-MT apneahypopnea indices (AHI) decreased from a mean ± standard deviation (M ± SD) of 24.5 ± 14.3/h to 12.3 ± 11.8/h, mean difference (MD) -14.26 [95% confidence interval (CI) -20.98, -7.54], P < 0.0001. Lowest oxygen saturations improved from 83.9 ± 6.0% to 86.6 ± 7.3%, MD 4.19 (95% CI 1.85, 6.54), P = 0.0005. Polysomnography snoring decreased from 14.05 ± 4.89% to 3.87 ± 4.12% of total sleep time, P < 0.001, and snoring decreased in all three studies reporting subjective outcomes. Epworth Sleepiness Scale decreased from 14.8 ± 3.5 to 8.2 ± 4.1. Two pediatric studies (25 patients) reported outcomes. In the first study of 14 children, the AHI decreased from 4.87 ± 3.0/h to 1.84 ± 3.2/h, P = 0.004. The second study evaluated children who were cured of OSA after adenotonsillectomy and palatal expansion, and found that 11 patients who continued MT remained cured (AHI 0.5 ± 0.4/h), whereas 13 controls had recurrent OSA (AHI 5.3 ± 1.5/h) after 4 y.
conclusionCurrent literature demonstrates that myofunctional therapy decreases apnea-hypopnea index by approximately 50% in adults and 62% in children. Lowest oxygen saturations, snoring, and sleepiness outcomes improve in adults. Myofunctional therapy could serve as an adjunct to other obstructive sleep apnea treatments.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.