Objective/hypothesis: Obesity is an established risk factor for sleep-disordered breathing, but the impact of craniofacial morphology is uncertain. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of craniofacial morphology and body weight on sleep-disordered breathing in Japanese men.
Study design: A cross-sectional study.
Methods: We measured body mass index, seven cephalometric variables, and 3% oxygen desaturation index recorded by a pulse oximeter in 313 Japanese men aged 20 to 65 years who attended a sleep clinic. We defined craniofacial score as the sums of quartile points (0-3) for distance from sella to nasion and that from hyoid bone to mandibular plane.
Results: The mean value of 3% oxygen desaturation index and odds ratios of 3% oxygen desaturation index 15 or greater progressively increased with craniofacial score as well as body mass index. Multivariate odds ratios associated with craniofacial score were higher in men with body mass index 25.0 kg/m or greater (odds ratio = 4.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.1-8.6) than in men with lower body mass index (odds ratio = 1.6, 95% CI = 0.7-3.6).
Conclusions: Our results imply the importance of cephalometric assessment in overweight patients.