Screening for Obstructive Sleep Apnoea in Patients With Cleft Lip and/or Palate in Saudi Arabia

ObjectiveTo screen for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in nonsyndromic patients with cleft lip and/or palate in Saudi Arabia and to identify factors associated with positive OSA screening results.DesignCross-sectional analytical study.SettingCleft lip and palate clinic, Madinah, Saudi Arabia.Patients, ParticipantsA total of 231 nonsyndromic patients aged 2 to 18 years with cleft lip and/or palate. Patients with syndromic diagnoses were excluded.InterventionsParticipants and their guardians completed a structured, 37-item interview-based questionnaire administered by the investigator. Responses were recorded through an online form and analyzed after data cleaning.Main Outcome Measure(s)Screening outcomes for OSA risk and associations between OSA status and demographic or clinical variables.ResultsThe mean age of participants was 7.5 ± 3.7 years, and 55.4% were male. Most patients were underweight (70%), followed by those with healthy body mass index (21.2%). No significant differences were found between OSA-positive and OSA-negative groups across demographic or clinical variables, except for the OSA risk score, which was significantly higher in the OSA-risk group.ConclusionsChildren with cleft lip and/or palate may exhibit mild OSA symptoms, including snoring and noisy breathing. Routine clinical screening remains essential to detect early signs of airway obstruction. While polysomnography is the diagnostic gold standard, further research is needed to clarify its correlation with clinical findings in this patient population.