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Published on: February 14, 2019
Sleep disordered breathing in children seeking orthodontic care
Ashok K Rohra1, Catherine A Demko2, Mark G Hans3
1Private practice, Cleveland, Ohio.
Insights
Approximately 7% of children in orthodontic treatment show high risk for sleep disordered breathing (SDB). This study highlights the need for screening in this pediatric population.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Sleep Medicine
- Orthodontics
- Public Health
Background:
- Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) encompasses a range of conditions from primary snoring to obstructive sleep apnea.
- Identifying high-risk factors for SDB in pediatric populations is crucial for early intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of high-risk factors for SDB in a cohort of children undergoing orthodontic treatment.
- To assess the utility of the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire in identifying at-risk children.
Main Methods:
- A sample of 303 healthy children aged 9-17 years was evaluated.
- The Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire, a 22-item validated instrument, was used to assess SDB risk.
- High risk was defined as answering "yes" to 33% or more of the questionnaire items.
Main Results:
- The prevalence of high-risk status for SDB was 7.3% (95% CI: 4.7%-10.6%) within the study sample.
- High-risk status was not significantly associated with sex, age, or race in this population.
- Test-retest reliability was confirmed with 16 patients repeating the questionnaire after one month.
Conclusions:
- The findings suggest that approximately 7% of adolescent orthodontic patients may be at significant risk for SDB.
- Routine screening for SDB risk factors in orthodontic settings could identify children needing further evaluation.
- This highlights a potential public health concern within the orthodontic patient population.
Introduction:
Our objective was to evaluate the prevalence of high-risk factors for sleep disordered breathing (SDB) in an orthodontic population of children. SDB is a spectrum of breathing disorders ranging from primary snoring to obstructive sleep apnea.
Methods:
The sample included 303 healthy children between the ages of 9 and 17. High risk of SDB was assessed using the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire, a validated instrument that consists of 22 questions, and high risk is defined as positive answers to 33% or more of the questions answered. Sixteen randomly selected patients repeated the questionnaire 1 month after the initial survey for reliability.
Results:
In this sample, high-risk status on the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire was not associated with sex, age, or race. The percentage of patients who were screened as high risk was 7.3% (95% confidence interval, 4.7%-10.6%).
Conclusions:
The results of this study suggest that approximately 7% of adolescent orthodontic patients may be at a significant risk for some form of SDB.
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