Contribution of dentists to detecting obstructive sleep apnea

Abstract

Some key features including both anatomical （i.e., craniofacial） and non-anatomical factors are involved in the pathogenesis and development of obstructive sleep apnea （OSA）. Since craniofacial factors are visible whereas non-anatomical factors routinely require laborious studies and complicated equipment for quantitative evaluation, dentists may be able to detect OSA by understanding the background craniofacial characteristics of OSA. Obese individuals with excessive soft tissue inside the oral cavity do not necessarily develop OSA if the jaw size is large relative to the amount of soft tissue. Conversely, an obese patient is highly likely to have OSA when the jaw size is not sufficiently large relative to the tongue size, a phenomenon called “oropharyngeal crowding.” This review highlights the anatomical balance theory to account for the underlying mechanisms of oropharyngeal crowding in OSA.