Moin Anwer Hafiz M, Albagieh Hamad N, Kalladka Mythili, Chiang Harmeet K, Malik Shaima, McLaren Sean W, Khan Junad
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine, 110 Bergen Street, Newark, NJ 07103, USA.
College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Dent J. 2021 Nov;33(7):424-433. doi: 10.1016/j.sdentj.2021.02.001. Epub 2021 Feb 26.
The objective of this article is to review the role of the dentist in the early diagnosis of pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and to provide an in-depth review of the best evidence-based practices available to treat and/or to refer these patients for intervention.
A narrative review was performed using indexed data bases (PubMed, Medline, EMBASE, OVID, Scopus and Cochrane) up to year 2020, and approximately 1000 articles were reviewed. The articles included were those with the best information provided.
Detailed review of the literature suggests that the role of the dentist has been redefined owing to their expertise in the orofacial region. Every patient consulting a dental practice is not merely a dental patient; he/she also requires a comprehensive medical review. The role of the dentist is pivotal in pediatric patients once diagnosed with OSA; as the patients grow, growth modification can be achieved, and future management will be easier. Initiating dental treatments during growth can benefit patients two-fold, saving them from malocclusion, and intervening in orofacial structural growth can help to avoid cumbersome treatments, such as CPAP and various surgeries. Proper diagnosis and management of systemic illnesses can prevent compromised quality of life, delays in treatment, morbidity and, in some cases, mortality.
本文的目的是回顾牙医在儿童阻塞性睡眠呼吸暂停（OSA）早期诊断中的作用，并深入综述现有的最佳循证实践，以治疗和/或将这些患者转诊进行干预。
使用截至2020年的索引数据库（PubMed、Medline、EMBASE、OVID、Scopus和Cochrane）进行叙述性综述，共查阅了约1000篇文章。纳入的文章均提供了最佳信息。
对文献的详细综述表明，由于牙医在口面部区域的专业知识，其作用已被重新定义。每一位到牙科诊所就诊的患者不仅仅是牙科患者；他/她还需要全面的医学检查。一旦儿童患者被诊断为OSA，牙医的作用至关重要；随着患者成长，可以实现生长改良，未来的管理也会更容易。在生长期间开始牙科治疗对患者有双重益处，既可以避免患者出现错颌畸形，又可以通过干预口面部结构生长来避免诸如持续气道正压通气（CPAP）和各种手术等繁琐治疗。对全身性疾病进行正确诊断和管理可以防止生活质量下降、治疗延误、发病，在某些情况下还可防止死亡。
