- Abstract -

It was the aim of the present studies to prove that sleep related breathing disorders may be caused by malocclusions and lower jaw displacements, which develop already at small children's age. Investigations with this objective have not been conducted until now. A standardized questionnaire was carried out by 1187 parents. 610 returned questionnaires derived from a collective of 1700 questionnaires sent out by mail to parents of children born 1996 in Herne. From the responding group 67 children with snoring history appeared to a personal clinical examination. An ear-nose-throat and an orthodontic examination and a pediatric sleep medical interrogation of parents and their children took place. Furthermore, parental questionnaires (n = 510) concerning the sleeping habits of their children before and during orthodontic treatment were analyzed.

In the third study a retrospective analysis of upper and lower models of 72 adults provided with an oral appliance against sleep disorders was accomplished.