A toothless mouth can lead to sleep disorders: Experts

LUCKNOW: Falling of teeth doesn’t just affect looks, but among the elderly, it gives way to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a problem usually identified by snoring.

“When all the teeth have fallen, it leads to compression in the upper airway (pharynges) or the soft area at top of the throat where the passages to nose and mouth connect. Hence, breathing is adversely affected,” said Prof Avind Tripathi, lead organiser of the international conference on OSA being organised by the Saraswati Dental College.

The five-day conference that began on Monday will have speakers from different parts of India and abroad speaking on various topics and research done on OSA.

“It is not that the body does not regain its lost space to breathe within the upper airway but it takes time. Most significantly, with age, the body’s neurological degeneration hampers this process and gradually oxygen intake is reduced to a minimum essential for survival,” said Tripathi, who has researched obstructive sleep apnea and the role of dentistry in it.

Usually, OSA is not taken seriously unless other health problems start to trouble such as drowsiness during the day. “Statistically, about 80% of people do not know they suffer from OSA and that it can be fatal too. It can be the reason for a stroke too, hence, it is significant that all should have basic knowledge about it,” said Prof Suryakant, HoD, respiratory medicine at the King George’s Medical University.

“Particularly among the elderly, diseases progress because of a common habit of ignoring early symptoms and problems until the situation aggravates. This actually is the cause of all types of disease progression among the elderly. Instead of getting a correct denture made, they make a compromise by eating soft food items and often reduce diet,” said Dr Abhishek Shukla, secretary-general, Association of International Doctors.

Usually, sleep apnea is treated with the help of CPAP (a machine that treats OSA by delivering a stream of oxygenated air into your airways), but at times, it is not feasible for all patients, said Tripathi.

THE FIVE-DAY CONFERENCE THAT BEGAN ON MONDAY WILL HAVE SPEAKERS FROM DIFFERENT PARTS OF INDIA AND ABROAD SPEAKING ON VARIOUS TOPICS AND RESEARCH DONE ON OSA.