A new study has found that survey results may help dentists diagnose patients with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), according to findings presented at the annual American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine meeting.
Commonly found in adolescents, the symptoms of SDB include obstructive sleep apnea, upper-airway resistance syndrome and snoring.
During the trial, the parents of more than 180 children aged 7 to 15 years old were surveyed to determine if their kids had any symptoms associated with the disorder. A team of researchers asked the parents about a variety of questions that were categorized in five different groups, including sleep disturbance, physical symptoms, emotional symptoms, daytime functions and caregiver concerns.
The data collected from the surveys showed that approximately 20 percent of the children experienced snoring, which is the most common symptom of SDB. The researchers also discovered that the questionnaire answers showed that more than 10 participants were at risk of developing in the disorder.
Children aged 3 to 6 years old are the most common people in the U.S. to suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, one of the symptoms of SDB, according to the Lucile Packard Childrens Hospital at Stanford in California.