Zaghi – Pediatric Dentistry’s Role in Sleep Disordered Breathing and Myofunctional Disorder-Zaghi – Pediatric Dentistry’s Role in Sleep Disordered Breathing and Myofunctional Disorder

Video Transcription

Video Summary

Dr. Soroush Zaghi presents a multidisciplinary overview of pediatric sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) from ENT, dental, and myofunctional perspectives, emphasizing that healthy sleep should be quiet, nasal, with lips closed and the tongue resting on the palate. He explains SDB as a dynamic continuum—from mouth breathing and noisy breathing to snoring, respiratory effort–related arousals, and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Even subtle disturbances without oxygen desaturation can fragment sleep and contribute to behavioral and developmental problems.<br /><br />Zaghi links pediatric SDB to ADHD-like symptoms, mood dysregulation, poor school performance, bedwetting, growth disturbance, obesity, and cardiovascular risk. He stresses that pediatric dentists are uniquely positioned to screen every six months by asking targeted questions (snoring, gasping, witnessed apneas, restless sleep, odd positions, bruxism, night waking, sweating, nightmares) and by observing oral findings (dry mouth, caries risk, high-arched palate, crowding, crossbites, tonsil size, tongue posture, tongue-tie, facial “long-face” patterns).<br /><br />Because formal sleep studies can be costly and may miss milder SDB, he recommends practical tools: parent-recorded sleep videos and snoring-tracking apps (e.g., SnoreLab) to identify patterns and monitor treatment response. Treatment is framed as layered and collaborative: prioritize nasal patency (saline rinses, allergy management, cautious mouth taping in appropriate patients), myofunctional therapy to restore nasal breathing and proper tongue/lip posture, and structural interventions when needed (adenotonsillectomy, expansion, tongue-tie release with therapy). CPAP is described as a last-resort bridge in children due to comfort and potential effects on facial growth. The core message: identify “smoke” early to prevent the “fire” of severe OSA and long-term craniofacial consequences.

Keywords

pediatric sleep-disordered breathing

mouth breathing

nasal breathing

obstructive sleep apnea (OSA)

snoring and respiratory arousals

ADHD-like symptoms

pediatric dental screening

myofunctional therapy

tongue posture and tongue-tie

high-arched palate and malocclusion

adenotonsillectomy

snoring apps and sleep video monitoring