Few Australian Orthodontists Routinely Screen for Sleep-Disordered Breathing, Survey Finds

Edited by Orthotown staff

About one in four orthodontists in Australia routinely screen patients for sleep-disordered breathing, and most who screen rely on informal questions rather than validated questionnaires, according to a national survey published online Oct. 23 in Sleep.

Researchers sent a pilot-tested electronic survey to the 485 full members of the Australian Society of Orthodontists and received 154 analyzable responses, a 31.8% response rate. Most respondents practiced primarily in private settings in urban or suburban areas.

Routine screening was reported by 25.2% of respondents, and 45.0% screened only in selected cases. Among those who answered questions about method, 79.8% used informal questions and 61.5% used clinical examination. The Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire and the STOP-Bang questionnaire were used by 24.0% and 21.2%, respectively.

Respondents named insufficient training, the lack of standardized screening protocols, and limited collaboration with medical professionals as the main barriers to routine screening. Most supported continuing professional development training on the topic (69.9%) and teaching on sleep-disordered breathing in the Doctor of Clinical Dentistry curriculum (87.0%).

Tassneem H. Elagib, Marie A. Cornelis, Andrew Gikas, and Paolo M. Cattaneo of the University of Melbourne and Maurice J. Meade of Adelaide University conducted the study. The authors concluded that professional bodies and orthodontic training programs in Australia should prioritize validated screening protocols, education, and clear interdisciplinary referral pathways. Fewer than one-third of surveyed members responded.

In the United States, the American Association of Orthodontists said Oct. 27 that it has formed a seven-member Sleep-Disordered Breathing Task Force to examine emerging research and challenges to its current position and to recommend how its policies and clinical resources should evolve.

Sources:
Sleep, “Orthodontists’ Awareness and Screening Practices for Sleep-Disordered Breathing: A National Survey in Australia,” published online Oct. 23, 2026: academic.oup.com/sleep/doi/10.1093/sleep/zsag281
National Library of Medicine, PubMed, PMID 42909620: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42909620
American Association of Orthodontists, “What If Orthodontists Had No Trusted Guidance on Emerging Issues,” Oct. 27, 2026: aaoinfo.org/what-if-no-one-was-keeping-orthodontic-guidance-current