• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.283-292
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• 2007

In several treatment modalities for snoring and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), oral appliances mainly including mandibular advancement appliance (MAA) and tongue retaining device (TRD) are recognized as a non-invasive, reversible alternative with favorable results. Tongue bulb is a major component of TRD which prevents the tongue from approaching the posterior wall of the pharynx and can be combined with MAA. Determination of tongue bulb size for the patient is important for therapeutic effect, but frequently needs time-consuming work. For effective fabrication and standardization of tongue bulbs, this study aimed to categorize tongue bulb size for healthy young men and to examine its relation with maximum retention force and with physical parameters including tongue-related variables. 36 non-snoring, asymptomatic young men with normal occlusion were voluntarily participated in this study (mean age: $24.47{\pm}2.58$ years). Experimental procedures consisted of prefabrication of tongue bulb set (20 types with a width of 27-36mm and thickness of 8 and 10 mm), determination of tongue bulb size and the maximum retention force for each subject, and measurement of physical parameters including body mass index (BMI), neck circumference and width, thickness and length of tongue. This study showed that there was significant difference of retention force among the bulb size-related groups both in upright and supine position (p<0.05) and that retention force increased with bulb size. Correlation of tongue bulb size with physical parameters was not clearly verified and there was no significant difference in retention force between upright and supine positions. Based on our results, it can be suggested that retention force relates with tongue bulb size, ultimately with tongue volume. A further study needs to be performed in the patients with snoring and OSA.