Personality traits and oral device: a new challenge to increase compliance with MAD therapy for OSAS and snoring

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) is a respiratory syndrome and oral devices can be used for its treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the opinions of a generic subject about being treated by a dentist for a general health problem and the association between personality traits and the predisposition to use a MAD for the treatment of OSAS and snorting. One hundred and forty-eight participants were enrolled in the study and were asked to fill in the questionnaires. Personality traits were evaluated using NFC (Need for Closure), PER (openness to new experiences), STAI-Trait and STAI-Stat questionnaires (State-Trait Anxiety Inventory). The propensity to be treated with dental devices for a general health problem such as OSAS and snoring was evaluated with a specific questionnaire. Eight out of ten participants would accept to use dental device to be kept at night for the solution of a health problem or the treatment of a disease that does not affect the teeth. A positive opinion on device used to treat OSAS was associated with higher PER and lower Mad-related distress, while the opinion of usefulness of the device was positively associated with higher PER and STAI-Trait. A positive opinion about treatment of snorting and OSAS using dental devices was associated with higher PER, while lower STAI-Trait was associated with positive opinion on treatment of snorting using dental-devices. The results suggest that some personality traits are associated with the propensity to use MAD to treat a general pathology as OSAS.