Sleep Science's new OSA treatment to be presented in WHO Compendium of Innovative Technologies

Nov 6 2013

Sleep Science Partners' mandibular repositioning treatment for obstructive sleep apnea has been accepted for inclusion in the 2013 World Health Organization Compendium of Innovative Technologies to be published this November.

Mandibular repositioning is the technique used by Sleep Science's PureSleep® anti-snoring dental device. Mandibular repositioning devices (MRDs), including the PureSleep device, now will be considered by public health organizations across the world as a cost-effective, durable, highly portable therapy for treating obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

"MRDs will be extremely beneficial for the world's underserved OSA population because unlike conventional CPAP (continuous positive air pressure) treatment, MRDs don't require electrical power and can be self-fit with just a pot of boiling water," said Sleep Science's President, Noel Lindsay.

Hundreds of millions of people worldwide suffer from OSA, a sleep condition where the throat muscles relax and collapse, obstructing breathing and causing oxygen deprivation. In the US alone, approximately 85% of sleep apnea sufferers are undiagnosed, and in developing countries, lack of practical treatment makes the rate vastly higher. OSA has been proven to increase the risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, glaucoma, depression, drug abuse, and injury accidents. The most common symptoms of OSA are daytime sleepiness, irritability, sexual dysfunction and snoring.

Lindsay will also present the technique of mandibular repositioning treatment as a low cost, effective solution for OSA at the Second WHO Global Forum on Medical Devices on 22-24 November 2013 in Geneva, Switzerland, a collaborative forum for the global public health community to increase access to high-quality, affordable medical devices in underserved populations.