Craniofacial morphology in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea

AIM: The aim of the study is to assess the relationship between cranio-facial morphology and the severity of OSA. METHODS: A sample of 14 adult patients (8 males and 6 females, mean±SD age=58±16.9 years), with a polysomnography confirmed diagnosis of OSA (i.e., AHI over 5 events/h), was recruited from the Department of Clinical-Surgical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, Section of Dentistry (Pavia) and underwent a cephalometric evaluation. The cephalometric tracing was performed with Tweed analysis and using the Delta-Dent CE software. Sleep parameters such as AHI, AHI supine, ODI and mean desaturation (%) were assessed. Correlation analysis between cephalometric features and AHI was performed by means of Pearson test. RESULTS: Five of the OSA patients were diagnosed with mild OSA, 3 with moderate OSA, and 6 with severe OSA. Mean AHI was 24,3±19.3/h, mean AHI supine 56,9/h, mean Oxygen Desaturation Index (ODI) 18,95/h, mean desaturation 93,55 %. Cephalometric variables were FMA 19,3±1,4; SNB 78,8±0,8; ANB 1,25±3,4; Occl Plane 12,35 ± 9,1; PFH 50,8±11. Pearson test showed a lack of correlation with any of the assessed cephalometric variables (p>.05). CONCLUSIONS: This investigation showed that apnea severity is not correlated to craniofacial parameters. However, most of the patients in the sample showed a reduced FMA, a tendency to skeletal class III, an anterotation of the occlusal plane. Furthermore, prosthetic rehabilitations of the posterior sectors were found in many patients.