The Moses Oral Airway Dilator Evaluation
The unique design of the Moses Appliance increases patient comfort and compliance to help reduce or eliminate snoring and obstructive sleep apnea.
The Moses appliance, developed by Allen J. Moses, DDS, DABCP, DABDSM, is described by Modern Dental Laboratory USA as one of the most effective therapy appliances for snoring and sleep apnea on the market. The Moses is designed to incorporate tongue management by activating reflexes to advance the tongue. It lowers elevator muscle activity, reduces clenching, and decreases bruxism. According to Modern Dental Lab, the 2-part design of The Moses is comfortable and allows patients to close their lips, talk, and drink.
Six dentists participated in this Dental Product Shopper evaluation of The Moses. They rated the appliance on such features as design innovation, effectiveness, patient comfort, and value to the practice.
Innovation
According to the manufacturer, The Moses is the only appliance to incorporate all 3 elements of a successful therapy appliance for snoring and apnea: mandibular advancement, tongue position, and patient compliance. The upper component, whic is similar to an Invisalign tray, prevents tooth movement and acts as an anchor to the maxillary arch. The buccal-mounted advancement screws allows you to slowly advance the mandible into the optimum position for efficacy. The acrylic base guides and stimulates the tongue to a protrusive or anterior position, based on the design.
When asked to rate the innovative design of The Moses, 3 evaluators rated it as excellent and 3 rated it as very good. An evaluator with more than 30 years of practice experience commented on the "[open] anterior room for the tongue to position forward," adding, "It is not blocked as with most mandible repositioning appliances."
Effectiveness
The Moses appliance is indicated for adults as an aid in the reduction or elimination of snoring and obstructive sleep apnea. By advancing the mandible and tongue, the appliance prevents the collapse of the patient's tongue on the soft palate and/or oropharyngeal airway.
The evaluators were asked to followup with their patients (and patients' sleep partners) to determine the effectiveness of The Moses at reducing or eliminating snoring. Three evaluators rated the appliance as excellent and 3 rated it as very good. An evaluator from Chicago, IL, said, "It works well to reduce or eliminate snoring." He added, "The Moses appliance works quite well in allowing the patient to have improved air flow."
Comfort
To aid in compliance, The Moses is designed for patient comfort. Patients can talk, drink, open their mouths wide, and close their lips. According to the manufacturer, patients won't experience a dry mouth in the morning, and the jaw and mouth are not placed in a locked position as with other devices.
When asked about patient comfort, 1 evaluator rated The Moses as excellent, 4 rated it as very good, and 1 rated it as good. An evaluator from Bellevue, WA, named "perfect fit" as what he likes best about The Moses. He went on to say, "Patients have found it very comfortable." An evaluator from Alton, IL, said, "The patients said it was relatively comfortable. I think it is more appealing to patients than some other designs of appliances."
Value to the Practice
When asked to rate the value of The Moses to the practice, 2 evaluators rated it as excellent and 4 rated it as very good. An evaluator from Mission Viejo, CA, said, "This device has been a complete success in my office with regard to both snoring and mild/moderate sleep apnea patients." This same evaluator gave the appliance an overall satisfaction rating of excellent and described it as much better than similar products.
Overall Satisfaction
All of the evaluators said they would definitely recommend The Moses to colleagues. In addition, all of the evaluators said that the appliance is much or somewhat better than similar products.
When asked to give their overall satisfaction rating of The Moses, 3 rated it as excellent and 3 rated it as very good. One evaluator summed up his evaluation by saying, "This is a very well made product that is easily titrated for the patient. [I had] great patient compliance."
