Development, testing, and feasibility of a customized mobile application for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) risk assessment: A hospital-based pilot study

Priyanka Kapoor; Aman Chowdhry; Poonam Sengar; Abhishek Mehta

doi:10.1016/j.jobcr.2021.11.004

Development, testing, and feasibility of a customized mobile application for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) risk assessment: A hospital-based pilot study

J Oral Biol Craniofac Res. 2022 Jan-Feb;12(1):109-115. doi: 10.1016/j.jobcr.2021.11.004. Epub 2021 Nov 11.

Authors

Priyanka Kapoor¹, Aman Chowdhry², Poonam Sengar³, Abhishek Mehta⁴

Affiliations

¹ Orthodontics & Dentofacial Orthopaedics, Faculty of Dentistry, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, 110025, India.
² Oral Pathology & Microbiology, Faculty of Dentistry, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, 110025, India.
³ Faculty of Dentistry, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, 110025, India.
⁴ Public Health Dentistry, Faculty of Dentistry, Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, 110025, India.

Abstract

Introduction: Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA), the most prevalent form of sleep-related breathing disorder has practical and financial limitations in diagnosis by polysomnography, hence OSA risk-assessment can identify OSA-related symptoms early.

Objectives: To develop a mobile application for OSA-risk assessment and tests its validity, feasibility, and application in a hospital-based pilot sample.

Study design and methods: The study comprised of two parts.

Part i: Development of a mobile application "OSA-Risk Assessment Tool" using automated questionnaires.

Part ii: A pilot study to screen OSA-risk in 200 patients (100 adults,100 children) from the orthodontic OPD of a Govt. Dental Hospital, using the mobile application. Internal validation by manual and mobile-based methods was done on 30 random patients. Non-parametric tests assessed the statistical differences between OSA-risk and nonOSA-risk variables.

Results: The prevalence of OSA-risk was 21.4% in adults and 8% in children. In adults, OSA-risk showed significantly greater neck circumference (p = 0.0001), waist circumference(p = 0.001), body mass index(p = 0.008), daytime sleepiness, headache, and mouth breathing(p = 0.0001). In children, OSA-risk is associated with a dry mouth on awakening, daytime sleepiness, and mouth breathing, and nocturnal enuresis. The low OSA-risk patients were suggested standardized preventive management counseling and orthodontic interventions while medium to high-risk underwent sleep-specialist referrals.

Conclusions: This study supports the feasibility and usability of the mobile application "OSA-risk assessment tool" in a hospital setup. This cost-effective tool can be advocated for self-evaluation, early detection, and awareness in pandemic times. The future upgraded versions may include preventive modules and real-time coordination with the nearest sleep clinics and specialists.

Keywords: Mobile application; OSA; Obstructive sleep apnea; Questionnaire; Technological innovations; mHealth.