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. 2019 Mar 12;19(1):43.
doi: 10.1186/s12903-019-0735-3.

Prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing and associations with orofacial symptoms among Saudi primary school children

Laila Baidas  1 , Asma Al-Jobair  2 , Huda Al-Kawari  2 , Aram AlShehri  3 , Sarah Al-Madani  3 , Hana Al-Balbeesi  2
Affiliations

Prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing and associations with orofacial symptoms among Saudi primary school children

Laila Baidas et al. BMC Oral Health. .

Abstract

Background: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing among primary school children in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and to evaluate associations between sleep-disordered breathing and respiratory conditions/orofacial symptoms.

Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 1600 questionnaires were distributed to Saudi boys and girls aged 6-12 years from 16 primary schools in Riyadh. The questionnaire covered relevant demographic and personal characteristics, presence of respiratory conditions and orofacial symptoms, and the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire. The latter was used to assess the prevalence of symptoms of sleep-disordered breathing and was completed by the participating children's parents.

Results: In total, 1350 completed questionnaires were returned (85% response rate). The children' mean age was 9.2 ± 1.8 years; 733 (54.3%) were boys and 617 (45.7%) girls. Overall, 21% of children were at high risk of sleep-disordered breathing. The prevalence of snoring was 14.4% and that of sleep apnea 3.4%. Boys were at higher risk of sleep-disordered breathing than girls (P = 0.040). Children with respiratory conditions or orofacial symptoms were at higher risk of sleep-disordered breathing (P < 0.0001) than children without these conditions/symptoms.

Conclusions: Around 21% of Saudi children are at risk of sleep-disordered breathing. There is a strong association between sleep-disordered breathing symptoms and the presence of respiratory conditions or orofacial symptoms.

Keywords: Asthma; Obstructive sleep apnea; Oral habits; Pediatric sleep questionnaire; Saudi children; Sleep-disordered breathing.

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Conflict of interest statement

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the College of Dentistry Research Center at King Saud University (Registration no. IR 0105). All parents were asked to sign a consent form that had been approved by the Ethics Committee before responding to the questionnaires.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

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Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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