Design of a Force Measurement System for Oral Appliance Sleep Apnea Testing**

睡眠呼吸暂停是一种常见的睡眠障碍，其中呼吸在整个睡眠周期中开始和停止，并且可以归因于中枢神经系统和/或气道的物理阻塞。后者被称为“阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停”，可以通过使用口腔矫治器治疗，其中下颌骨在睡眠期间重新定位。虽然口腔矫治器治疗阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停在许多情况下已被证明是有效的，但它可能并不适用于所有患者。Zephyr Sleep Technologies（卡尔加里，阿尔伯塔）开发了他们的MATRx Plus家庭测试系统，该系统根据呼吸指标、气流和血氧水平的闭环反馈重新定位下颌骨。该设备可以真实的评估与突出有关的睡眠呼吸暂停，并且使用机器学习算法，它能够预测患者对治疗的治疗反应。 该公司目前正在开发下一代设备，该设备将能够进一步推进其提供的临床指导。NSERC Engage项目将专注于设计和实施一个力测量系统，用于MATRx PlusTM家用阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停测试设备。所开发的一个或多个系统必须能够在患者家中以及实验室环境中使用，以获得更高保真度的力-时间测量。此外，Zephyr收集的数据将用于开发下颌骨复合体对前突的生物力学模型，以更好地了解使用口腔矫治器进行阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停治疗的机制。该项目的成果将大大提高理解OSA的能力，以实施最佳治疗方案，并显着扩大围绕口腔治疗生物力学的文献。这一领域的进步将有助于显著改善加拿大流行疾病的治疗，并增加Zephyr Sleep Technologies在该地区的流行率。

Sleep apnea is a common sleep disorder where breathing starts and stops throughout a sleep cycle and can be attributed to the central nervous system and/or physical obstructions of the airway. The latter is known as "obstructive sleep apnea" and may be treated through the use of oral appliance therapy where the mandible is repositioned during sleep. While oral appliance therapy for obstructive sleep apnea has proven effective in many instances, it may not work for all patients. Zephyr Sleep Technologies (Calgary, Alberta) has developed their MATRx Plus at-home testing system which repositions the mandible in response to closed loop feedback of breathing indicators, airflow, and blood-oxygen levels. The device can assess sleep apnea in real time in relation to protrusion, and using machine learned algorithms it is able to predict the patient's therapeutic response to therapy. The company is currently working on the development of a next generation device that will be able to further advance the clinical guidance it provides. The NSERC Engage project will focus on designing and implementing a force measurement system for use with the MATRx PlusTM at-home obstructive sleep apnea testing device. The developed system, or systems, must be able to be used both at home by the patient as well as in a lab-based setting to obtain higher fidelity force-time measurements. Additionally, data collected by Zephyr will be utilized to develop biomechanical models of the mandibular complex in response to protrusion to better understand the mechanics of obstructive sleep apnea therapy using oral appliances. Outcomes from the project will lead to a greatly increased capability to understand OSA for implementation of optimal therapy protocols and significantly expand the literature surrounding oral treatment biomechanics. Advancements in this field will serve to significantly improve therapy for a prevalent disorder in Canada and increase Zephyr Sleep Technologies prevalence within this area.**