Assessment of the Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire, and Mallampati Score in Children With Obstructive Sleep Apnea: An Observational Study

Abstract

Background and Objective Individuals diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) experience recurrent episodes of breathing cessation due to blockage of the upper airway during sleep. This study aimed to assess the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ) scores, Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) scores, and Mallampati score in pediatric patients with OSA, compared with non-OSA.Methods An observational study was conducted on 100 pediatric female patients aged 9-13 years with retrognathic mandible. The participants were subjected to PSQ, ESS, and Mallampati score to assess the size and shape of the patient’s tongue and esophageal airway. Finally, polysomnographic examination was carried out for all the participants and they were divided into two groups: Group 1 (50 patients) who were diagnosed with OSA by polysomnography and Group 2 (50 patients) consisting of non-OSA patients. Chi-square and Mann–Whitney U test were applied to compare scores between the two groups.Results The mean PSQ, ESS, and Mallampati scores of participants were 0.78 ± 0.45, 9.86 ± 2.47, and 2.27 ± 0.98, respectively in Group 1 and 0.24 ± 0.03, 7.27 ± 2.39, and 1.32 ± 0.57, respectively in Group 2, and this difference was statistically significant (p < 0.05). PSQ, ESS, and Mallampati scores had specificity of 100%, 95.5%, and 72.7%, respectively, whereas the sensitivity was 45.5%, 22.7%, and 63.6%, respectively. ESS scores ≥ 10, PSQ scores ≥ 0.3, and Mallampati scores ≥ 2 were indicative of OSA.Conclusions Patients with OSA having retrognathic mandible had higher PSQ, ESS, and Mallampati scores compared to healthy individuals without OSA. Mallampati score can be satisfactorily used for screening OSA patients.