[Periodontal health in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea]

Obstructive sleep apnoea is a sleep-related breathing disorder characterized by repeated episodes of partial or complete obstruction of the upper airway during the sleep. The severity of obstructive sleep apnoea is determined by the apnoea-hypopnea index, which represents the number of apnoea s and hypopnea s per hour of sleep. A systematic literature review on the association between obstructive sleep apnoea and the periodontal condition was conducted in the PubMed and Dentistry and Oral Sciences databases. Independent selection and assessment of methodological quality were performed by 2 researchers, followed by a descriptive comparison of the results. From 236 search results, with a total of 462 participants aged 18 to 77, four cross-sectional studies met the inclusion criteria. A significant decrease in clinical attachment level and increase in bleeding tendency was observed in participants with an apnoea-hypopnoea index ? 5. Patients with obstructive sleep apnoea exhibit impaired periodontal health, particularly with regard to clinical attachment level and bleeding tendency. There appears to be a possible association, which may be influenced by shared risk factors.