Over at Daily Diabetic, I just wrote about sleep apnea's association to increased risk of type 2 diabetes and that sleep apnea is most effectively treated by continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP).

Now, a custom-made mouth appliance, a two-piece device known as the Thornton Adjustable Positioner II (TAP II) has been found to decrease snoring and improve sleep apnea symptoms in patients who wear them in their sleep.

TAP II is designed to move the lower jaw forward resulting to decreases in snores per hour and snoring loudness, decrease in the percentage of palatal snoring events and decrease in oxygen desaturation events.

These were the findings recently reported in the May 2007 issue of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery, the official scientific journal of the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery (AAO-HNS).

Find more details from the full report.

[Photo Credit: Dr. Moore - Sleep Medicine]