Salivary biomarker C-reactive protein levels in children with sleep problems and Class II malocclusion before and after twin-block therapy.

CONTEXT: Disturbances in sleep affects the overall quality of a child's life, with several short- and long-lasting consequences. Hence, early diagnosis and monitoring is crucial in the management of sleep disorders in children.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate salivary C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in a group of children with Class II malocclusion and sleep problems before and after twin-block appliance therapy.

SETTINGS AND

DESIGN

The study was a prospective clinical study with a 9-month follow-up period.

SUBJECTS AND

METHODS

Eleven children aged 8-12 years with skeletal Class II malocclusion and at least one sleep disorder were enrolled in the study. All children were subjected to a recording of their sleep history and a clinical as well as radiographic examination. Pretreatment levels of salivary CRP were recorded. A twin-block appliance was custom made and delivered to every child. At the end of 9-month follow-up, all children were recalled for a re-evaluation of salivary biomarker levels.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Pretreatment and posttreatment changes in biomarker levels were assessed statistically using the students paired t-test.

RESULTS

Levels of salivary biomarker CRP were significantly decreased in children following myofunctional therapy using a twin-block appliance (P < 0.001). There was a considerable improvement in the clinical symptoms such as a decrease in snoring and noisy breathing in most children post-twin-block therapy.

CONCLUSION

The measurement of salivary biomarker CRP could be used as an alternative and noninvasive method to evaluate prognosis of oral myofunctional therapy for children with sleep disordered breathing.