142 - Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) Screening in the Pediatric Dental Office

Purpose: To describe the population of children who were referred from the Children’s Health Dental Clinic to Otolaryngology due to a positive OSA screening and to determine the sensitivity of the screening form.

Methods: This study was a prospective observational study of patients followed at Children’s Health Dental Clinic who had been screened for OSA prior to general anesthesia. Data was obtained from clinic notes and included age, gender, ethnicity, BMI Z-score, screening form score, ENT recommendations, and subsequent intervention or diagnosis of OSA.

Results: A total of 216 patients scored ≥ 6 on the screening form and were referred for ENT evaluation. A total of 182 were evaluated by the ENT service (84.2% show rate). Of the patients that had PSG, 32 (33.6%) were diagnosed with OSA. 21 of the 95 children (22.1%) had mild to moderate OSA (AHI 2-9) and 11 (11.5%) had severe OSA (AHI ≥ 10). There was no significant correlation between individual screening form questions and an OSA diagnosis. 73 (40.1%) were either recommended intervention (T&A) or received a diagnosis of OSA.

Conclusions: This screening tool is able to identify patients at risk of OSA and provide the framework for referral and treatment guidelines prior to general anesthesia.