An oral device for improving airway patency includes a tongue constraint and a negative pressure source. The tongue constraint engages the patient's tongue to maintain a clear region below the palate in an oral cavity and allow an anterior portion of the tongue to rise. By applying a negative pressure in the clear region, an airway behind the soft palate or tongue of the patient can be maintained. The tongue constraint is usually connected to an anchor. The anchor may be held between the patient's teeth or may engage the inferior surface of the palate. Another oral device for improving airway patency includes a lateral tongue structure and a negative pressure source.

Systems for maintaining a vacuum in a patient's oral cavity comprises an oral device, a vacuum control system, and an assembly including first and second tubes for connecting the vacuum control system to the oral device. The oral device has an internal plenum, and a vacuum is drawn in the plenum by a vacuum pump connected by a first tube of the tubular assembly. The vacuum is maintained by an air source which is connected to the plenum by the second tube of the tubular assembly. By maintaining a constant circulating air bleed through the oral device and the connecting tubes, saliva may be removed from the system and collected in a saliva trap located before the vacuum pump.

Disclosed herein are pharmaceutical compositions, devices, their combinations, and their uses thereof for example in treating or preventing headaches.

A tongue depressor for facilitating the placement of a laryngeal mask is disclosed. The tongue depressor includes a flexible main body; the flexible main body is long and flat with a width W and a thickness D, wherein 1.5 cm<W<3.5 cm and 0.05 mm<D<2 mm. The flexible main body has a bent state and a straight state. With the above structure, when the flexible main body is put into the oral cavity of the human body in the straight state, an external force is applied to the flexible main body and then the flexible main body transitions from the straight state to the bent state such that the flexible main body depresses the tongue base to form a channel with the upper jaw of the human oral cavity, through which the laryngeal mask can enter the human pharynx.

Systems for maintaining a vacuum in a patient's oral cavity comprises an oral device, a vacuum control system, and an assembly including first and second tubes for connecting the vacuum control system to the oral device. The oral device has an internal plenum, and a vacuum is drawn in the plenum by a vacuum pump connected by a first tube of the tubular assembly. The vacuum is maintained by an air source which is connected to the plenum by the second tube of the tubular assembly. By maintaining a constant circulating air bleed through the oral device and the connecting tubes, saliva may be removed from the system and collected in a saliva trap located before the vacuum pump.

A tongue attachment assembly includes a sheath designed for attachment to a patient's tongue using a vacuum. An accessory attachment feature comprising a groove located between a flange and the distal end of the body of the sheath. Vacuum can be drawn through a valve or an external vacuum source. The tongue attachment assembly can be adapted for any of a variety of applications by selecting an appropriate accessory and attaching the accessory to the sheath by the accessory attachment feature. Accessories can include a sleep apnea attachment, a gas delivery mask retention attachment, and the like. The tongue attachment assembly can be fabricated by replicating a shape of a patient's tongue as a portion of a mold, then using the mold to generate the tongue attachment assembly. The tongue mold can be obtained by a scanning process or an impression or casting process.

A method of reducing anxiety in a subject. In some embodiments, the method includes the steps of: providing an audio input to the subject, the audio input including a sequence of tones in a frequency range comprising about 100 Hz to about 8000 Hz and having intensities adapted to audiometric parameters of the subject; producing a plurality of actuation signals correlated with the audio input; delivering an actuation signal of the plurality of actuation signals to each of a plurality of electrodes in contact with a tissue surface of the subject's body to provide tactile stimuli to the tissue surface; and reducing anxiety in the subject.

A sublingual delivery device, system and method of operating such are provided. The sublingual delivery device comprises a device body comprising a delivery button configured to operate the sublingual delivery device, an ampoule carrying liquid, a threaded rod configured to push the ampoule towards a proximal end of the device body, a joints mechanism configured to convert vertical motion of the delivery button to horizontal motion of the threaded rod, an adjustment knob configured to set the volume of liquid to be delivered by adjusting a rotation degree of the knob, the knob located at a distal end of the device body, and a mouthpiece configured to be placed into a mouth of a user, the mouthpiece located at the proximal end of the device body, and the mouthpiece comprising a hollow needle configured to penetrate the ampoule and deliver liquid from the ampoule into the mouth of the user.

A method of reducing anxiety in a subject. In some embodiments, the method includes the steps of: providing an audio input to the subject, the audio input including a sequence of tones in a frequency range comprising about 100 Hz to about 8000 Hz and having intensities adapted to audiometric parameters of the subject; producing a plurality of actuation signals correlated with the audio input; delivering an actuation signal of the plurality of actuation signals to each of a plurality of electrodes in contact with a tissue surface of the subject's body to provide tactile stimuli to the tissue surface; and reducing anxiety in the subject.

An oral appliance for use by a subject while wearing a nasal CPAP mask having an occlusal opening between a buccal portion and a lingual portion of a dental tray which allows centric occlusion. The upper and lower receptacle portions of the tray have interproximal protrusions to provide intimate contact between the appliance and a user's teeth to assist in retaining the user's jaws in place and prevent them from opening. The appliance includes buccal wall which extends into the vestibule of the user's mouth to assist in creating an intraoral seal.