Call for Volunteers

Summarize Article for Colleagues
 

Help members distill the important take-aways from the latest research in dental sleep medicine. Use this template to summarize recent journal articles related to OSA or OAT and post them on the AADSM discussion board. If you have any questions, or need assistance, please contact Heather Montague hmontague@aadsm.org.
 
 

Template Summary

 
Title: List the title and citation here. The citation includes the authors, title of the journal, and publication date. Be sure to include a link to the actual study or abstract.
 
Summary: Give a brief description of the purpose, methods and conclusion of the study in less than 100 words.
 
Type of Study: Explain the study design (e.g. randomized controlled trial, cohort study, case report)
 
Strong Points: List the main strengths of the study.
 
Weak Points: List the main weaknesses of the study.
 
Take-aways: Identify what the study means for clinicians and/or dentists.
 
What we need to think about: Identify ways dentists may want to change their thinking or practice, based on this research. Is there a need for more research on this topic? If so, list these needs here. 
 
 

Sample Summary

 
Title: Risk factors of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome in children
https://journalotohns.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40463-020-0404-1
Xu Z, Wu Y, Tai J, et al. J Otolaryngol - Head Neck Surg – 2020.  
 
Summary of the Study: This study was designed to better understand the risk factors for pediatric OSA. The authors of the study used questionnaires and physical examinations as well as PSGs of children between the ages of 2 and 15. These data were collected to discover risk factors for sleep disorders. The authors found that independent risk factors for OSA were tonsillar and adenoid hypertrophy, breastfeeding, obesity, male gender, and if the child had been snoring for ≥ 3 months.
 
Type of Study: Observational study.
 
Strong Points: 
  • Large study of 1,578 children.
  • Multiparametric assessment of child demographic factors and health.
 
Weak Points: 
  • Questionnaires used were not validated.
  • Parent report of child’s symptoms may not be completely accurate.
  • The authors did not include facial structure abnormalities in their models of risk.
 
Shows: 
  • We may be able to accurately predict when a child has OSA by looking at the risk factors in this study.
  • Physicians may be better able to screen pediatric patients for OSA using these predictive models.
               
What we need to think about: Dentists need to think about the usefulness of using these risk factors as a trigger to screen for OSA.