Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome: Evaluation of the Risk Factors for Dentistry

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder with serious complications. Considering the association of untreated OSA with type 2 diabetes, hypertension, some types of cancer, and cardiovascular diseases, early diagnosis is clinically vital for this disease. Polysomnography (PSG) is the most definitive approach to detect OSA, but it requires expert technical service, is considered a costly procedure, and is not readily available. Thus, simpler and inexpensive screening tools are necessary. There is a growing interest in the use of portable home sleep apnea testing devices for the diagnosis of OSA in recent years, but the efficacy of evaluation and testing with these portable devices is still debatable. Considering the high cost of PSG, which is the most reliable method for OSA diagnosis, an approach with lower cost and high sensitivity to detect OSA is required. The head and neck region and oral cavity enclose clinical parameters associated with OSA, which may enable dental practitioners to play an important role in referring patients at risk of OSA to clinics for early diagnosis. In the present review, the risk factors of OSA are evaluated with clinical findings, many clinical and radiological parameters associated with OSA in the head and neck region are presented together with current literature information, and the auxiliary diagnostic methods that can be utilized by dental practitioners to determine the risk of OSA are presented.

Keywords

• obstructive sleep apnea
• risk analysis
• polysomnography
• dentistry