RICHARD DRAKE , DDS

It seems that every course we teach these days we get multiple questions about what to do for kids who snore or have sleep apnea . Usually , it is the “ Mama Bear ” staff member of a dentists officewho has multiple questions about her own son .

“ Ten years old , a bit of a behavior problem , but he ’ s really a good kid .”

Why do you appear to be so concerned ? “ Well , he ’ s still wetting the bed , and he seems to be struggling more in school .” Go on . “ He ’ s frequently called out for talking too much , for being too aggressive on the playground . And he snores . Yes . He ’ s a mouth breather …”

Lots of parents ask about snoring children . How do you respond ?

About 10 % of kids snore , and about 10 % of those kids who snore also have sleep disordered breathing problems . Just because a kid snores doesn ’ t mean he has sleep apnea , so no need to jump the gun , but snoring children should not be dismissed .

Respiratory infections , or what we used to call “ GSS ” around my house ( green snot syndrome ), can certainly create a temporary snoring problem in most any kid . Concern should come when the child is a habitual snorer , and he snores even when he ’ s not sick . This kid usually has enlarged tonsils and adenoids . He may be retrognathic , have a deviated septum , a mouth breather . The more of these boxes that you can check , the more likely a kid is to have a sleep apnea problem .

DR . RICHARD DRAKE Co-Founder of DS3 and Dental Sleep Solutions

DIAGNOSIS of sleep disordered breathing in a child requires a sleep specialist

You are fortunate if you have a pediatric sleep specialist in your area . If not , find the most qualified sleep MD in your location . Help the family arrange a sleep study to be performed on their child . The sleep study should be an in-lab study , a PSG . Interestingly , kids only need a single apnea event in a night to be diagnosed with sleep apnea

RISK FACTORS that increase the likelihood for sleep apnea in children :