Validation of the oral screen test as a tool for screening pediatric nasal obstruction.

Nasal obstruction in pediatric patients can lead to serious issues, such as facial growth alterations, otitis media with effusion, and sleep disorders. Diagnosing nasal obstruction is challenging because subjective evaluations are often inaccurate, and objective measures like rhinomanometry are difficult to perform in children. This study proposes using an oral screen test as a rapid and cost-effective diagnostic method. The aim of the study is to validate the oral screen test as a method for diagnosing nasal obstruction in children. This objective is based on the observation that children with nasal obstruction do not tolerate the oral screen test well. The validation of the diagnostic test was assessed based on the results of 104 children aged 4-15 years undergoing rhinomanometry. A silicone oral screen (Forwardontics®) and the Spanish version of the Sinus and Nasal Quality of Life Survey (SN-5) were used. The oral screen test yielded a positive result in 78 participants (75%). The children with a positive test result exhibited higher nasal resistance (561.3 ±140.5%) than those with a negative test result (102.0 ±3.4%), with an odds ratio (OR) of 18.5 (95% confidence interval (CI): 5.5-64.1). The oral screen test is a highly sensitive and moderately specific method for diagnosing nasal obstruction in children, making it a useful screening tool in clinical practice.