Intra- and interobserver agreement in the diagnosis of malocclusion in sleep-disordered breathing.

UNLABELLED Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is often related to malocclusion, and dentists should be able to recognize occlusal changes that may be associated with the development, onset, or persistence of SDB. Although clinical examination is routinely used by specialists in orthodontics and functional jaw orthopedics, differences in diagnosis are very common. METHOD Two observers, both dentists specializing in functional jaw orthopedics, examined 56 children aged 7 to 9 years. Intra- and interobserver agreement in identification of functional orthopedic and orthodontic conditions were assessed. RESULTS Intraobserver agreement was strong for all variables. Interobserver agreement was also strong, except for the variable overbite, which showed good agreement. CONCLUSION Diagnostic criteria provide an opportunity for dentists to recognize dental malocclusions that may be associated with sleep-disordered breathing.