Dentofacial Morphology in Obese and Non-obese Children with and without Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Introduction: Several craniofacial abnormalities have been suggested to contribute to obstructive sleep apnea. These characteristics vary significantly among the literature and are limited by the infrequent use of polysomnogprahy, the gold standard for diagnosing and quantifying obstructive sleep apnea. Objective: To compare the prevalence of facial and/or dental imbalances in children with and without obstructive sleep apnea in cohorts of obese and non-obese children. Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional study of children (ages 4-16) who were referred for a polysomnogram at The Hospital for SickKids. Facial features and malocclusion was assessed clinically by one dentist, blinded to the PSG results. Results/Conclusions: Horizontal excess (overjet) was the only dentofacial finding which was significantly more common in children with obstructive sleep apnea as compared to those without obstructive sleep apnea (p=0.04). Dentofacial characteristics were also not different between children using positive airway pressure therapy and children not on positive airway pressure therapyM.Sc