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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Sleep Sci 2025; 18(02): s00451802650
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1802650
Review Article

Systematic Review of Craniofacial Phenotyping in Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea: An Approach to Standardization of Methods

Izzati Nabilah Ismail 
1   Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Diagnosis, Kulliyyah of Dentistry, International Islamic University Malaysia, Kuantan, Pahang, Malaysia
,
Nor Diyana Ismail
2   Department of Respiratory Medicine, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children, NHS Foundation Trust, London, United Kingdom
3   Unit Pediatrik Respiratori, Jabatan Pediatrik, Hospital Serdang, Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
› Author Affiliations
Funding Source This review was supported by Sultan Ahmad Shah Medical Centre @IIUM under the SRGS Project (SRG21–057–0057).
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Abstract

Craniofacial phenotyping methods are pivotal in understanding and diagnosing pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, the lack of standardized methods often leads to inconsistencies, hindering the reliability and validity of quantitative analyses in this field. This systematic review aims to evaluate existing craniofacial phenotyping methodologies and their key parameters to propose standardization measures to enhance the reliability and validity of future quantitative analyses on this topic. A comprehensive search of electronic databases was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, resulting in the inclusion of 13 studies. Data extraction focused on the types of phenotyping methods and the parameters or measurements used. Our findings revealed a variation in the phenotyping techniques and a wide array of parameters used across studies, highlighting the need for standardization. The authors proposed a framework of parameters for future evaluation of craniofacial morphologies of pediatric OSA. By standardizing the assessment of these craniofacial morphologies, future research efforts can ensure consistency, facilitating more reliable and valid quantitative analyses in this critical area of study.

Keywords

craniofacial phenotype - pediatric - obstructive sleep apnea - phenotyping methods


Publication History

Received: 14 March 2024

Accepted: 20 September 2024

Article published online:
07 March 2025

© 2025. Brazilian Sleep Association. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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Bibliographical Record
Izzati Nabilah Ismail, Nor Diyana Ismail. Systematic Review of Craniofacial Phenotyping in Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea: An Approach to Standardization of Methods. Sleep Sci 2025; 18: s00451802650.
DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1802650
 

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