Long term effects of palatal implant method in adult patients with simple snoring and obstructive sleep-apnea syndrome

Objective. To investigate the long term effect and reliability of palatal implant surgery, which is a minimally invasive technique, used in simple snoring and obstructive sleep-apnea syndrome types based on objective and subjective data. Materials and Methods. Seventy-eight patients were included prospectively in this study. It has been possible to obtain preoperative and postoperative polysomnography results in 59 patients. The cases were followed-up for 8 months on average. Considering the apnea index and AHI values, the patients were divided into 5 groups, namely simple snoring (n=13), mild OSAS (n=21), moderate OSAS (n=17), severe OSAS (n=8), and the group on which polysomnography could not be performed, the no-polysomnography group (n=19). The cases were evaluated based on polysomnography and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and visual analog scale filled by relatives or friends of the patients. Results. The AHI of 46 patients diagnosed with OSAS decreased from 14.9 to 10.14 (31% decline) (p=0.279). The AHI of 13 patients with simple snoring diagnosis reduced from 3.09 to 2.02 (p=0.033). A 40% improvement was observed in VAS of all cases. Implant rejection occurred in 7 of our cases and 3 patients experienced ecchymosis. Conclusion. It is concluded that palatal implant procedure is a good option for appropriate cases, it is equivalent to other methods in terms of treatment efficacy and that is more advantageous than other techniques in that it can be applied in office settings with low morbidity, is minimally invasive and brings about higher patient compliance.