Pediatric obstructive sleep apnea: knowledge, attitude, and practice among pediatric dentists in Egypt: a cross-sectional study

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BACKGROUND: Pediatric dentists can play a crucial role in detecting, referring, counselling, and treating patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Understanding their knowledge and attitudes towards OSA is crucial for effective healthcare delivery. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice of pediatric dentists in Egypt toward obstructive sleep apnea in children. METHODS: This cross-sectional study used a web-based structured questionnaire generated via Google Forms based on a previously validated questionnaire. The link for the questionnaire was circulated to participants through emails and professional group forums. The questionnaire comprised an introductory paragraph and four sections: demographic, knowledge, attitude, and practice for data collection. RESULTS: A total of 362 pediatric dentists participated in this online survey. Adequate knowledge was detected in 310 (85.64%) pediatric dentists, and 343 (94.75%) demonstrated a positive attitude toward OSA. In contrast, inadequate practices were observed in 274 (75.69%) pediatric dentists. Concerning the correlation between the knowledge, attitude, and practice and demographic data, a weak negative correlation with statistical significance (p-value = 0.047186) was detected between practice and age. A weak positive correlation was also detected between knowledge and years of experience, with a statistical significance (p-value = 0.011848). CONCLUSIONS: Pediatric dentists in Egypt seem to have adequate knowledge and a positive attitude toward different domains of pediatric OSA, but their practice was inadequate. Participants' knowledge showed a weak favourable correlation with years of experience; meanwhile, their practice has an adverse weak relationship with age. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The current study was registered on May 6, 2025, with the identifier number NCT06970873 on clinicaltrials.gov.

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