ASSESSMENT BY ORAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS OF PATIENT-REPORTED OUTCOMES IN OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA

Oral health professionals, including general dentists and orthodontists, may participate in the provision of care to adults and children with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) when referred by a sleep medicine specialist. The use of oral appliances (OA) has been presented as a possible management option for mild obstructive sleep apnea among adults. In children, although oral interventions are not supported as a first-line stand-alone management option for OSA, short-term studies have suggested an improvement in sleep signs and symptoms in milder cases. The monitoring of management outcomes from OA interventions is essential to monitor OSA conditions. Due to the chronic nature of OSA, the measure of dental patient-reported outcomes (dPROs) will likely help to understand interplaying factors that may influence the effectiveness of OA interventions among subjects with OSA. This narrative review discusses the current evidence regarding main dPROs in OSA, evaluation methods, and the contribution of oral health professionals in assessing it for both children and adults. The main dPROs assessed among OA users include quality of life, treatment adherence, and side effects. The use of validated tools to measure dPROs must be preferred when available. Overall, the clinical assessment of dPROs by oral health professionals is likely beneficial to monitoring OSA management outcomes and must be encouraged as part of an interdisciplinary approach led by the sleep physician.