Effects of a Pacifier on Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Its Repercussions in Infants With Down Syndrome (TET21)

June 16, 2026 updated by: Hospices Civils de Lyon

Effects of a Pacifier on the Development of Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Its Repercussions in Infants With Down Syndrome

Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is characterised by repetitive collapse of the upper airway during sleep, inducing breathing disturbances that can result in oxygen desaturation and frequent arousals. In children, OSA can have long-term consequences on the development and on the cardiovascular system.

Down Syndrome (DS) is a genetic disorder associated with intellectual disability and many comorbidities. The prevalence of OSA is particularly high in patients with DS, from infancy. In a recent study, OSA was diagnosed in 97% infants and early diagnosis and intervention from the age of 6 months was associated with better neurocognitive outcome at 3 years old. Therefore, there is a need to develop new strategies to prevent OSA early in infancy.

OSA can be linked to some orofacial abnormalities presented by patients with DS. Indeed, orofacial functions and structures ca play a crucial role in OSA. For example, nose breathing allows the tongue to act as a stimulator of the transverse maxillary growth during childhood, allowing the upper airway to develop properly.

The primary objective of the present study is to evaluate the effects of a pacifier used by infants with Down Syndrome (from the age of 1 months) on the severity of OSA at the age of 6 months, by comparing a group of infants with the pacifier vs a group of infants without the pacifier.

The main hypothesis is that infants who used the pacifier from 1 month- to 6 month-old will have lower OSA severity (estimated by the obstructive apnea hypopnea index on polysomnography (PSG)).

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
50

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • France
      • Bron, France, 69500
        • Hôpital Femme-Mère-Enfant, Service d'épileptologie clinique, des troubles du sommeil et de neurologie fonctionnelle de l'enfant
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Patricia FRANCO, PU-PH

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Group 1 (infants with CURAPROX pacifier)

    • Age 1 month (±1 week)
    • Children diagnosed with free and homogeneous trisomy 21
    • For whom a consultation is planned at ~1 month in the department of genetics
    • Affiliated to a social security scheme
    • With informed consent of the 2 legal representatives

  • Group 2 (infants without CURAPROX pacifier)

    • Infants included in the OMF21 study (sponsored by HCL, n°ID-RCB 2025-A01900-49, approved by ethical committee Nord-Ouest IV on October 9th 2025)
    • With informed consent of the 2 legal representatives for re-use of the data

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Group 1 (infants with CURAPROX pacifier)

    • Diagnosed with mosaic trisomy 21
    • Born preterm (gestation age at birth <37 weeks)
    • Known allergy to silicone
    • Currently participating to an interventional study protocol implying an ongoing exclusion period from other studies
  • Group 2 (infants without CURAPROX pacifier) - Use of the CURAPROX pacifier for ≥1 month

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
No Intervention: Infants with Down Syndrome without CURAPROX pacifier
Infants with Down Syndrome, included in the study OMF21 (age: 6 months), who did not use the CURAPROX pacifier
Experimental: Infants with Down Syndrome with the CURAPROX pacifier
infants with Down Syndrome with the pacifier
Device: CURAPROX pacifier use
The CURAPROX pacifier is a biofunctional pacifier developed to promote nasal breathing and a healthy oro-facial development, available for sale to the general public. It will be given to infants when they are 1 month old, until the last visit at 6 months.
Other: Pacifier diary
A diary will be filled in by the caregivers for 2 consecutive days each month until the visit at the hospital (at 6 months). Parents will be reminded to fill in the dairy by a phone call.
Diagnostic test: Polysomnography (PSG) to explore OSA

Patients will undergo full-night PSG (including electrocardiogram to monitor heart rate and the JAWAC system to record mandibular movements) at the age of 6 months in the sleep unit of Hôpital Femme-Mère-Enfant (Bron, France) to explore OSA, included in the routine care of children with DS.

OSA diagnosis will be made based on the obstructive apnea-hypopnea index (OAHI) resulting from the PSG. OSA will be diagnosed when OAHI ≥1.5/hour.

Other: Non-nutritive sucking recording

Non-nutritive sucking performance will be recorded through an experimental method using a classical pacifier, equipped with pressure sensors. Recording will last about 10 minutes. Variables related to sucking performance (maximum amplitude, frequency of sucking bursts, etc.) will be recorded.

It will be recorded on the day of inclusion (1 month old) and on the day of polysomnography (6 months old).

Other: Oro-myo-functional clinical evaluation
Orofacial myofunctional evaluation will be conducted by a physiotherapist according to the OMES-E (Orofacial Myofunctional Evaluation with Scores for Nursing Infants) during the hospitalization for polysomnography (at 6 months old).
Behavioral: Neurocognitive evaluation
The Bayley Scale (4th edition) will be administered by a neuropsychologist. Global score will be calculated along with its four subscores (cognitive, language, motor).
Other: Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children

The Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children is a short questionnaire answered by parents about their child's sleep disorders.

Total score and scores for each sleep disorder will be calculated, according to the classical procedures during hospitalization for polysomnography in the sleep unit.

Other: Sleep Hygien Scale for Children

The Sleep Hygiene Scale for Children is a short questionnaire answered by parents about their child's sleep habits.

Total score and scores for each sleep disorder will be calculated, according to the classical procedures during hospitalization for polysomnography in the sleep unit.

Other: PedsQL-Infants
The PedsQL-Infants questionnaire is designed to evaluate quality of life in infants. It will be given to parents during their child's hospitalization for polysomnography (at 6 months old).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Obstructive apnea hypnopnea index
Time Frame: Month 6
OAHI (/h) will be measured by PSG. Night PSG will take place during a 24h-stay at the hospital when infants are 6 months old.
Month 6

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pulse wave amplitude drop (PWAD)
Time Frame: Month 6
PWAD (/h) will be measured by PSG. Night PSG will take place during a 24h-stay at the hospital when infants are 6 months old.
Month 6
Hypoxic burden
Time Frame: Month 6
Hypoxic burden (% min /h) will be measured during a 24h-stay at the hospital when infants are 6 months old.
Month 6
Mandibular movements index
Time Frame: Month 6
Mandibular movements index (/h) will be measured using the JAWAC system during the PSG of a 24h-stay at the hospital when infants are 6 months old.
Month 6
OSA severity class
Time Frame: Month 6

Determined based on the value of OAHI on PSG at 6 months:

  • No OSA : IAHO <1,5/h
  • Light OSA : IAHO ≥1,5/h
  • Moderate OSA : IAHO [5 ;10/h[
  • Severe OSA : IAHO ≥10/

Night PSG will be recorded during the 24h-hospital stay at 6 month old.
Month 6
Frequency of sucking bursts (/min)
Time Frame: Month 6
Sucking performance will be measured by non-nutritive sucking recording. Non-nutritive sucking recording will take place at 1 month (during a consultation in the department of genetics) and at 6 months (during the 24h-stay at the hospital for polysomnography).
Month 6
Amplitude of sucking bursts (mB)
Time Frame: Month 6
Sucking performance will be measured by non-nutritive sucking recording. Non-nutritive sucking recording will take place at 1 month (during a consultation in the department of genetics) and at 6 months (during the 24h-stay at the hospital for polysomnography).
Month 6
Total sleep time (TST)
Time Frame: Month 6
TST (min) will be measured during a 24h-stay at the hospital when infants are 6 months old.
Month 6
Wake after sleep onset (WASO)
Time Frame: Month 6
WASO (min) will be measured during a 24h-stay at the hospital when infants are 6 months old.
Month 6
Sleep fragmentation
Time Frame: Month 6
Arousal index (/h) will be measured during a 24h-stay at the hospital when infants are 6 months old.
Month 6
Sleep architecture
Time Frame: Month 6
Percentage of sleep stages (%) will be measured during a 24h-stay at the hospital when infants are 6 months old
Month 6
Oro-facial myo-functional characteristics
Time Frame: Month 6

12 subscores and total score on the OMES-E (Orofacial Myofunctional Evaluation with Scores - Expanded protocol ; score) Clinical examination of oro-facial myo-functional characteristics will take place during the 24h-stay at the hospital for polysomnography (age: 6 months).

Total score ranges from 0 to 100. Higher score means better outcome.
Month 6
Subjective parental evaluation of sleep disorders on the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC)
Time Frame: Month 6

SDSC: 1 total score and subscores (insomnia, sleep disordered breathing, non-restorative sleep)

Total score ranges from 22 to 110. Higher scores mean worse outcomes.
Month 6
Subjective parental evaluation of sleep hygiene on the Sleep Hygiene Scale for Children (SHSC)
Time Frame: Month 6

SHSC: 1 total result ("sleep hygiene issue": yes/no) and three scores (attachment parenting, translational coping, screen exposure).

Positive scores are worse than negative scores. SHSC will be filled-in by parents during the hospital-stay of their child for polysomnography (age: 6 months)
Month 6
Neuropsychological evaluation
Time Frame: Month 6

Neurosychological evaluation will be conducted by an experienced neuropsychologist using the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development (4th edition). Total score and subscores (posture, hand-eye coordination, language, sociability) will be collected. Neurosychological evaluation will be conducted on the morning following polysomnography, during the 24h-hospital stay of the child (age: 6 months).

Scores range from 0 to 160. Higher scores mean better outcomes.
Month 6
Heart rate variability (HRV)
Time Frame: Month 6

Time-domain HRV indices: RR, HR, NN50, pNN50, SDNN, RMSSD Frequency-domain HRV indices: Ptot, VLF, LF, HF, LFnu, HFnu, LF/HF ratio. HRV measures will be compared between the sample of children with DS and a control group of healthy children from the AuBE cohort (cohort from a previous study).

HRV indices will be calculated for the electrocardiogram signal recorded during the PSG (age: 6 months).
Month 6
Quality of life on the PedsQL
Time Frame: Month 6

Results of the PedsQL consist in 1 total score + 5 subscores (physical functioning, physical symptoms, emotional functioning, social functioning, cognitive functioning).

The PedsQL questionnaire will be filled-in by parents during the hospital-stay of their child for polysomnography (age: 6 months).

Total score ranges from 0 to 144. Higher score means worse outcomes.
Month 6

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Hospices Civils de Lyon

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Patricia FRANCO, PU-PH, Hospices Civils de Lyon

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
July 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 1, 2029

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 1, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
May 20, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 16, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
June 18, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 18, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 16, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 69HCL26_0448
  • 2026-A01060-51 (Other Identifier: ID-RCB)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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