Preeti Goudar¹, Udita Majithia²

The Quadrant 2(2):14-23

How to cite: Goudar P., Majithia U. Pediatric Dentists as Gatekeepers for Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Narrative Review – Part 1 The Quadrant. 2024;2(2):14-23.

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.11273283

ABSTRACT

“A good night sleep is very important for good health”, but many children are divested of sleep due to Sleep Disordered Breathing (SDB). SDB is defined as a clinical spectrum of repetitive episodes of complete or partial obstruction of the airway during sleep. This disorder consists of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), characterized by prolonged partial upper airway obstruction and/or intermittent complete obstruction that disrupts normal ventilation during sleep and normal sleep patterns. Disruptive sleep pattern may affect the child’s general and social well-being. The first part of this review explores the literature between 1980 to 2014 on pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (POSA) that helps in narrating the early diagnosis and treatment interventions that are important to improve child’s long-term cognitive development, social interaction, academic achievement, cardiovascular health and overall wellbeing.

Keywords: Obstructive Sleep Apnea, Sleep Disordered Breathing, Pediatric Dentistry, Myofunctional Therapy

HIGHLIGHTS

• Emphasises on the pediatric aspect of obstructive sleep apnea

• Provides a narration of the recommended approaches that pediatric dentists can intervene with in cases of POSA.

CORRESPONDING AUTHOR AFFILIATIONS

¹Private Practitioner, Bangalore, Karnataka, India

²Department of Pediatrics & Preventive Dentistry, College of Dental Sciences & Research Centre, Ahmedabad, India

Received: 31st May 2023

Accepted: 11th September 2023

Published: 14th January 2024

Pediatric Dentists as gatekeepers for Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea: A Narrative Review - Part 1