371 - Investigating the prevalence and identification of signs and symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in the Pediatric Dental Population

Investigating the prevalence and identification of signs and symptoms of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in the Pediatric Dental Population, Sonnenberg B L, Golikeri S, (NYC Health + Hospitals/Woodhull, Brooklyn, NY)

Purpose: The purpose was to compare the prevalence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) in the pediatric dental population vs. the general pediatric population, identify the most common signs and symptoms in patients that are formally diagnosed with Obstructive Sleep Apnea, and assess if pediatric dentists screening for Obstructive Sleep Apnea presents a discrepancy in the two populations respective prevalence.

Methods: A survey (via SurveyMonkey) was emailed to pediatric dentists listed in the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry’s (AAPD) directory.


Results: Sixty-three responses were recorded. The AAPD reports that Obstructive Sleep Apnea is present in one to five percent of the general pediatric population. Results have shown that the prevalence in the pediatric dental population falls shy of this range in the majority of cases (based off of the AAPD's 2012 Survey of Dental Practice - mean of 3,390 active patients in solo/group private practices). The predominant ages of children in these two target populations coincide closely (2-7 years old in the general pediatric population, 3-9 years old in the pediatric dental population). Snoring/sleeping difficulties were seen at a frequent rate in both populations (96% of the general pediatric population, 92.1% in the pediatric dental population), amongst other signs and symptoms in the pediatric dental population (adenotonsilar hypertrophy - 82.5%, obesity - 60.3%). Referral to confirm diagnosis of OSA most often included ear-nose-throat (ENT) specialists and primary care physicians, including pediatricians. Of the 63 pediatric dentists' responses, only 65% screen for OSA.

Conclusion: The hypothesis, that all pediatric dentists are screening for Obstructive Sleep Apnea and the prevalence (of OSA in the pediatric dental population) will be identical to that of the general pediatric population, cannot be accepted. Roughly 2/3 of pediatric dentists screen for OSA, which in turn reflects a low prevalence. There were limitations regarding this research - data was not collected regarding facility type, practice classification, and active patients for each pediatric dentist who completed the survey. More research needs to be conducted due to the limited number of responses.