Comparison of screening methods for obstructive sleep apnea in the context of dental clinics: A systematic review

To review the available bibliographic data to identify the best screening methods to detect potential obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients during dental clinical practice.

Relevant studies published up to April 2020 were sourced from PubMed, Embase, MEDLINE, Cochrane, and LILACS databases.

Thirty studies were selected. For adults, the screening methods available to the dentist included questionnaires, scales, indexes, pulse oximetry, and anatomical factors. A combination of questionnaires is potentially the most reliable method to detect OSA risk. For children, only information on questionnaires and anatomical factors was found; two questionnaires accurately identified potential OSA risk cases. Anatomical factors also displayed a significant relation with OSA for both populations.

Dentists have a fundamental role in early detection of potential OSA cases since they can use the methods identified in this review to perform an initial screening of the population.

OSA: Obstructive sleep apnea; PSG: Polysomnography; HST: Home sleep study; BMI: Body mass index; PPV: Positive predictive value; NPV: Negative predictive value; AHI: Apnea hypopnea index; RDI: Respiratory disturbance index; ODI: Oxygen desaturation index; PSQ: Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire; SRBD: Sleep-related breathing disorder; CSHQ: Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire; ESS: Epworth Sleepiness Scale; PSQI: Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index.