3D Printed Devices for Sleep Apnea Treatment

When someone has sleep apnoea, their breathing stops repeatedly during sleep. Physiologically speaking, the front wall of the pharynx falls onto the back wall and closes the airways. Then, the body reacts to this emergency with an adrenaline rush, causing the airways to open again. This results in alternating snoring, pauses, and heavy breathing, typical symptoms of sleep apnoea. In addition to snoring, other common symptoms include daytime sleepiness, sudden falling asleep and headaches.

These nocturnal respiratory arrests certainly have a negative impact on daytime mood, but can also lead to serious medical problems like heart attacks, strokes, high blood pressure or brain damage. So, people use breathing devices and dental aligners for treatment. CPAP masks (Continuous Positive Airway Pressure) can also help by connecting the mask to a breathing device and supplying air. However, many of those affected – on average one in 20 men and one in 50 women – complain about the lack of comfort of CPAP masks. For this reason, LuxCreo and EMA Sleep have partnered to improve sleep apnoea devices using 3D printing technology.

A common side effect of sleep apnea is suddenly falling asleep during the day.

LuxCreo is known for its pioneering work in the field of digital dentistry, being one of the first 3D printer manufacturers to make it possible to print transparent braces. LuxCreo now wants to use its 3D printing technology to conquer other areas of medical technology. Together with EMA Sleep, the company is therefore working on improving Elastic Mandibular Advancement (EMA) devices. These are custom-made devices that move the lower jaw forward, keeping breathing stable by keeping the airway open. In contrast to the more invasive CPAP masks, EMA devices are supposed to be more comfortable to wear. They can provide relief for mild to moderate sleep apnoea.