Maxillomandibular advancement is a successful treatment for obstructive sleep apnoea: a systematic review and meta-analysis

The primary objective of this review was to establish the effectiveness of maxillomandibular advancement (MMA) as a successful treatment modality in improving airway patency in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA). A systematic and detailed search was performed using PubMed Central, covering the period January 2000 to December 2015, with well-defined selection criteria. The authors independently conducted the study selection, data extraction, and assessed the risk of bias of the included studies. Twenty studies met the inclusion criteria. The outcome measures studied were the apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI), respiratory disturbance index (RDI), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), lowest oxygen saturation (LSAT), and body mass index (BMI). The random-effects model was adopted for meta-analysis as moderate heterogeneity was identified. The analysis revealed significant changes in the outcome measures after the intervention. The results showed that the preoperative severity of OSA based on AHI and RDI significantly influences the outcome of MMA intervention, with a strong positive correlation between the pre MMA AHI values and the percentage change post intervention. The surgical success of MMA in patients with OSA was found to be 100% with respect to AHI and RDI scores. It is concluded that MMA is a successful treatment for OSA.