The role of mouth tape for CPAP use in mouth breathing patients with OSA.

To assess the use of mouth tape in patients with mouth breathing during continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), focusing on CPAP adherence. Additional outcomes included daytime sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS)), snoring (visual analog scale (VAS)), night awakenings, mouth/throat dryness, leakage, and adverse effects. This randomized crossover study compared CPAP adherence with and without silicone hypoallergenic mouth tape. Participants used each intervention for 30 days, separated by a one-week washout period. After each period, CPAP data (adherence, apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), leakage) and questionnaires were retrieved. Sixty-two patients with OSA (36 males; AHI (mean ± standard deviation), 45.8 ± 22.2 events/h; age, 57.7 ± 17.6 years; BMI, 27.9 ± 7.1 kg/m2) were randomized. Participants using mouth tape, compared to those without, showed better CPAP adherence: average use increased by 51.8 minutes per day (95% CI, 33.1 to 70.4) and by 41.4 minutes per used day (95% CI, 27.9 to 55.0). Frequency of use increased by 14.2% (95% CI, 9.3 to 19.0), with 17.6% more days reaching ≥4 hours/night (95% CI, 12.7 to 22.6). Good adherence increased with an odds ratio of 4.5. Mouth tape statistically improved ESS, snoring VAS, mouth/throat dryness, and night awakenings. Adverse effects were reported. Using mouth tape in patients with mouth breathing during CPAP improved CPAP adherence in both duration and frequency. Unfavorable symptoms related to OSA, or CPAP were alleviated, leading to better sleep quality. Registry: Thai Clinical Trials Registry; Title: The role of mouth tape for continuous positive airway pressure in obstructive sleep apnea; Identifier: TCTR20250425002; URL: www.thaiclinicaltrials.org/show/TCTR20250425002.