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Occlusal splints (also known as intraoral orthoses) designed to be placed inside the mouth for use during the sleeping hours to treat obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and help in avoiding inspiratory noise produced by vibration of the pharyngeal soft tissues (i.e., snoring). These splints usually consist of removable (e.g., plastic) devices that increase the pharyngeal space in order to improve the patient\'s ability to exchange air, thus decreasing the air turbulence which is the typical causative factor in snoring. There is a variety of occlusal splints used for the purpose of treating OSA and/or preventing snoring. The devices usually use one out of three main different techniques (i.e., mandibular repositioning, tongue retaining, palatal lifting) or a combination of these. Dedicated OSA/anti-snoring splints using one or more of these techniques are available; they are usually positioned in dental offices.
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