Salivary biomarker C-reactive protein levels in children with sleep problems and Class II malocclusion before and after twin-block therapy.

CONTEXT: Disturbances in sleep affects the overall quality of a child's life, with several short- and long-lasting consequences. Hence, early diagnosis and monitoring is crucial in the management of sleep disorders in children.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to evaluate salivary C-reactive protein (CRP) levels in a group of children with Class II malocclusion and sleep problems before and after twin-block appliance therapy.

SETTINGS AND DESIGN: The study was a prospective clinical study with a 9-month follow-up period.

SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Eleven children aged 8-12 years with skeletal Class II malocclusion and at least one sleep disorder were enrolled in the study. All children were subjected to a recording of their sleep history and a clinical as well as radiographic examination. Pretreatment levels of salivary CRP were recorded. A twin-block appliance was custom made and delivered to every child. At the end of 9-month follow-up, all children were recalled for a re-evaluation of salivary biomarker levels.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Pretreatment and posttreatment changes in biomarker levels were assessed statistically using the students paired t-test.

RESULTS: Levels of salivary biomarker CRP were significantly decreased in children following myofunctional therapy using a twin-block appliance (P < 0.001). There was a considerable improvement in the clinical symptoms such as a decrease in snoring and noisy breathing in most children post-twin-block therapy.

CONCLUSION: The measurement of salivary biomarker CRP could be used as an alternative and noninvasive method to evaluate prognosis of oral myofunctional therapy for children with sleep disordered breathing.