Here’s a scientific article on childhood sleep apnea. 

Yu-Shu Huang1 and Christian Guilleminault2*

1Department of Child Psychiatry and Sleep Center, Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and University, Taiwan, China
2Sleep Medicine Division, Stanford University, Redwood City, CA, USA

Aims:

Review of evidence in support of an oral-facial growth impairment in the development of pediatric sleep apnea in non-obese children.

Method:

Review of experimental data from infant monkeys with experimentally induced nasal resistance. Review of early historical data in the orthodontic literature indicating the abnormal oral-facial development associated with mouth breathing and nasal resistance. Review of the progressive demonstration of sleep-disordered-breathing (SDB) in children who underwent incomplete treatment of OSA with adenotonsillectomy, and demonstration of abnormal oral-facial anatomy that must often be treated in order for the resolution of OSA. Review of data of long-term recurrence of OSA and indication of oral-facial myofunctional dysfunction in association with the recurrence of OSA.

Results:

Presentation of prospective data on premature infants and SDB-treated children, supporting the concept of oral-facial hypotonia. Presentation of evidence supporting hypotonia as a primary element in the development of oral-facial anatomic abnormalities leading to abnormal breathing during sleep. Continuous interaction between oral-facial muscle tone, maxillary-mandibular growth, and development of SDB. load testing website Role of myofunctional reeducation with orthodontics and elimination of upper airway soft tissue in the treatment of non-obese SDB children.

Conclusion:

Pediatric OSA in non-obese children is a disorder of oral-facial growth.

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