Craniofacial Features in Children with Sleep-Disordered Breathing: A Comparative Study.

BACKGROUND: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) consists of a range of symptoms that can negatively affect children's quality of life. Earlier diagnosis of SDB in children can result in the prevention of severe outcomes. PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the craniofacial features and skeletal growth patterns of children with SDB. MATERIALS AND METHOD: This comparative case-control study was conducted on 150 patients aged 8 to 12 years who attended the orthodontic department. Based on the Berlin questionnaire, selected patients were divided into two groups of 25, including children with a high risk of SDB (SDB group) and those without the risk (control group). Craniofacial analysis of all patients was carried out on their lateral cephalometric radiographs. Cephalometric sagittal and vertical parameters were compared between groups using the Mann-Whitney U test with effect sizes reported. Data normality was assessed to justify statistical methods. RESULTS: Vertical parameters, including FMA (p Value= 0.019, Cohen's d= 0.69) and GoGn-SN angles (p= 0.038, Cohen's d= 0.46), were significantly higher, and the Jarabak index was lower (p= 0.022, Cohen's d= 0.51) in the SDB group, indicating a vertical growth pattern. However, the anterior-posterior position of both jaws was not significantly different between the two groups (p> 0.05). CONCLUSION: In this study, considerable differences were observed in the craniofacial features of children with SDB, particularly in the vertical dimension.