Résumé
Obstructive sleep apnea/hypopnea are today a major public health issue, which still requires costly and invasive assessment and treatment methods. The current studies on OSA intend to evidence the functional etiology of upper airways obstruction during sleep. The involvement of the tongue in this process is one of the phenomena at stake. In this study, we tried to unveil a potential connection between OSA and ankyloglossia among adults through orofacial assessment. We also resorted to a questionnaire in order to assess the interest of oro-myo-functional therapy. Results: 22 patients were targeted by the assessment. Among all measures, TRMR-LPS is the most correlated to AHI. TRMR-TIP and TRMR-LPS show a tendency to lingual restriction according to how severe the OSA is. 32% of the adult patients suffering from apnea have ankyloglossia identified by TRMR-LPS. 93% of the 83 participants who answered the questionnaire had never heard of OMF therapy, and 82% said they could be willing to consider going through this therapy. Discussion: an important part of the adults with OSA also display a lack of tongue mobility and tone linked to ankyloglossia. In order to establish this diagnosis, it is necessary to perform an orofacial assessment supervised by a speech therapist. The OMF therapy would be interesting for many patients suffering from OSA, even though it is seldom suggested in practice.Conclusion: ankyloglossia is under-diagnosed among adults with apnea. This disorder should be investigated as part of a wider examination of orofacial functions. This assessment could lead to the OMF therapy aiming to deal with orofacial disorders. By the way, patients show a real interest for this therapy regardless of the severity of their OSA.