Objective:To investigate the effect of orofacial
myofunctional therapy on the clinical efficacy of upper airway surgery for adults with severe obstructive sleep apnea(OSA). Methods:A total of 48 patients with OSA who underwent upper airway surgery in the Shenzhen Second People's Hospital from June 2020 to September 2021 were included in this study. These patients were randomly divided into the combination group(21 cases) and the surgery group(27 cases). The effective rate, AHI, minimum blood oxygen saturation,
snoring events and Epworth
sleepiness scale scores at 6 months after operation were compared and analyzed between the two groups. Results:The proportions of AHI, LSaO2,
snoring events, and total
snoring time in the combined group at 6 months after operation were(14.77±9.15) times/h, (81.19±6.52)%, (172.43±73.67) times, and(13.16±6.02)%. The proportion of AHI, LSaO2,
snoring events, and total
snoring time in surgical group at 6 months after operation was(23.87±10.6) times/h, (80.78±4.88)%, (235.81±83.23) times, (17.58±5.94)%. Compared with preoperative 6 months after operation, the proportion of AHI,
snoring events, and total
snoring time was significantly decreased, and LSaO2was significantly increased, and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05). The time of
snoring and the proportion of
snoring to time were significantly improved compared with those in the simple operation group, and the differences were statistically significant(P<0.05). Conclusion:This study verified that orofacial
myofunctional therapy can improve the clinical efficacy after upper airway surgery for adults with severe
obstructive sleep apnea.