Correlation between Facial Morphology and OSAS Severity in Children A Systematic Review

Aim: Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) is a condition characterized by repeated interruptions in breathing during sleep, caused by a complete or partial obstruction of the upper airway. This review examines recent literature on the facial morphology of children with OSAS, assessed through photographic analysis, and its correlation with disease severity. Methods: a literature search was conducted in Medline-PubMed, Scopus, and WoS, including studies published in English between 2019 and 2024 focusing on children. Keywords: sleep apnea, facial morphology, craniofacial photography. Results: out of 196 studies analyzed, 4 were selected, highlighting a correlation between craniofacial characteristics and OSAS severity. 1. Tyler et al. (2022) reported an association between a more obtuse facial convexity angle and severe OSAS. 2. Sutherland et al. (2019) found that a larger cervicomental angle and a higher lower-to-upper facial height ratio were linked to disease severity. 3. Wang et al. (2023) identified lower facial width (FFW) as a key parameter in OSAS. 4. Hsueh et al. (2022) observed a significant increase in the mandibular plane angle in children with OSAS. Conclusions: a correlation exists between OSAS and craniofacial parameters such as facial convexity, cervicomental angle, lower-to-upper facial height ratio, lower facial width, and mandibular plane angle. However, the current literature remains limited, underscoring the need for further research.