SATURDAY , 13 AUGUST 2005

By DAVID KING
A Dunedin orthodontist has invented a remedy for snoring that he hopes will save lives and marriages and make life better for millions of people.

Dr Chris Robertson has spent the past eight years developing and trialling the aveoTSD, a device put in the mouth to hold the tongue forward to stop snoring and obstructive sleep apnoea, where breathing stops during sleep.

Manufactured in Christchurch, users say the device is like using a dummy that makes them sleep like a baby.

The beauty of Robertson's invention is it costs a fraction of expensive sleep masks and can be prescribed by a doctor without the need to visit a specialist or dentist for fitting.

Robertson's father died of cardiac problems associated with sleep apnoea in 1983, which inspired Robertson to work on remedies to the problem.

"It's a simple solution to a complex problem," he said.

"We wanted to provide a service to as many people as possible at minimal cost."

An estimated one million New Zealanders suffer from sleep disordered breathing problems. About 800,000 are bad snorers, and about 200,000 have undiagnosed obstructive sleep apnoea.

Sleep apnoea is related to a range of problems from high blood pressure and diabetes to depression, not to mention the relationship strife and misery caused by snoring partners, and road deaths caused by drivers falling asleep at the wheel.

The device has been used in clinical trials in Dunedin and Wellington and trials are also under way in the United States, Brazil and Canada.

Anthony Russell, a 49-year-old Central Otago businessman who started using one of the first versions of the device about five years ago, said it changed his life.

"I was a terrible snorer. I'd wake up in the morning with a terrible headache and feeling like I hadn't slept at all. I was at the stage where I was sleeping in the spare bedroom," he said.

"It took two nights to get used to, and now I sleep like a baby with a dummy.

"I can't speak highly enough of it. Put it this way, it's the first thing I pack when I go away anywhere."

Robertson said the device had a 90 per cent success rate in clinical trials and was also being trialled with patients undergoing general anaesthetics and in emergency departments for patients having trouble breathing.

Robertson has a doctorate in dental science, specialising in dental sleep medicine, and also invented a sleep mask device for Fisher and Paykel Healthcare that is exported around the world.

The aveoTSD has Federal Drug Administration approval in the US and is about to become widely available in New Zealand on prescription through GPs.

Robertson self-funded the research before getting help from friends to move to production.

Christchurch's Elastomer Products Ltd manufactured the device and medical supplies business Ebos would distribute it.

The work had been done on the "smell of an oily rag" and he kept the work low-profile until he felt he had got it right.

"I kept it quiet because we didn't want to go to market until we were confident and we didn't want to hold out our hands for any money," Robertson said.

"I wanted it to be scientific – it had to be evidenced-based."

Robertson said using the device was similar to buying a new pair of shoes and getting used to them.

"It's not pretty, but when the lights go out, who cares? If it's the difference between sleeping on the couch or sleeping with your partner, it's a no-brainer."

He said the project was about finding a cost-effective remedy to a miserable problem for millions of people.

He said he hoped to cover his costs rather than make a fortune.

"If I wanted to make a million dollars I probably wouldn't be living in Dunedin. I'd have liked my father to have seen his grandchildren."

According to research, there are over 200 million people in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development countries with sleep disordered breathing.

Courtesy of Stuff.co.nz