Sleep Apnea Affects Children as Well as Adults

Sleep Apnea is a condition where you stop breathing while you are sleeping.

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea is a condition where the upper airway is blocked.

• A person with sleep apnea stops breathing repeatedly while sleeping anywhere from 10 seconds to as long as 3 minutes.

• There are approximately 40 million adults affected by sleep apnea.

• Sleep apnea also affects children. Up to 5% have been diagnosed with sleep apnea.

• Dentists have a role in diagnosing sleep apnea.

During an exam, we look at the tonsils and adenoids as well as the teeth.

• Children with sleep apnea usually have enlarged tonsils, adenoids, narrow arches, and a high palatal vault.

• It is possible that a percentage of these children diagnosed with ADHD would improve if they slept better.

• A child diagnosed with ADHD will exhibit sympoms that mimic the very natural consequences of unmet physiologic needs like quality sleep.

• Usually enlarged tonsils and or adenoids are causing the child to snore or breathe abnormally.

• Children should not snore.

• There is significant evidence that sleep-related breathing disorders are associated with cognitive and behavioral impairment in children.

• Approximately 11% of children 4 to 17 years of age (6.4 million) have been diagnosed with ADHD last year, and have spent 7.2 billion dollars in medications.

• The airway in children who have moderate or severe OSA is so compromised that the body is in a continued “fight or flight mode” as the brain struggles for oxygen.

• If left untreated, sleep apnea in children can lead to learning, behavior, growth, and heart problems.

What to do:

• Have your child examined by a dentist or physician to have the airway evaluated.

• A tonsillectomy may be recommended.

• Orthodontic treatment may be recommended to broaden the dental arches.

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Dr. Gary Vander Vliet

Preventive, Cosmetic and Implant Dentistry

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