Sleep Medicine Education in Dental Schools and Residency Programs in Italian Universities (Sleep-OD)

May 31, 2026 updated by: Gallenzi Patrizia, Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS

Sleep Medicine Training in Dentistry at Italian Universities: A Prospective Observational Study

This study aims to assess whether sleep medicine education is provided within Italian undergraduate dental programs (Degree in Dentistry and Dental Prosthetics) and postgraduate specialization programs in Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry. A secondary objective is to compare the level of sleep medicine exposure between Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry residency programs.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) affects 9% to 49% of the general population and is associated with multiple comorbidities and reduced life expectancy. Despite its high prevalence, a large proportion of patients remain undiagnosed, partly due to limited education among healthcare professionals. Dental sleep medicine is an emerging field; the Italian Ministry of Health has called upon dentists to act as "diagnostic sentinels" for patients at risk of sleep disorders. Orthodontists and pediatric dentists are also involved in the treatment of some sleep disorders through mandibular advancement devices (MADs) and palatal expansion appliances. Recent studies have highlighted a lack of sleep medicine training in dental programs in the United States; however, no study has ever been conducted in Italy to assess the level of exposure of dental students and residents to sleep dentistry.

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Estimated)

70

Contacts and Locations

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

Study Locations

  • Italy
    • Roma
      • Roma, Roma, Italy, 00168
        • Clinica Odontostomatologica - Fondazione Policlinico IRCSS A. Gemelli

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

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

All directors of Italian dental undergraduate and postgraduate programs

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Directors of undergraduate Dentistry and Dental Prosthetics degree programs in Italian universities whose email address is publicly available online
  • Directors of postgraduate residency programs in Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry in Italian universities whose email address is publicly available online

Exclusion Criteria:

- Directors affiliated with the Fondazione Policlinico Universitario A. Gemelli IRCCS or the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore (to avoid conflict of interest)

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

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Presence and extent of sleep medicine education within Italian undergraduate dental programs and postgraduate residency programs in Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry
Time Frame: Baseline
To observe whether sleep medicine education is provided within the undergraduate Degree Course in Dentistry and Dental Prosthetics and within the Postgraduate Specialization Programs in Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics at Italian universities, as assessed through a questionnaire including items from the validated Sleep Education Survey (American Academy of Neurology Sleep Section). Responses will be analyzed using descriptive statistics, with means and standard deviations for continuous variables and frequencies for categorical variables.
Baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Comparison of sleep medicine education content and quantity between Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry residency programs
Time Frame: Baseline

To compare the level of sleep medicine education exposure obtained in Orthodontics Specialization Schools with that of Pediatric Dentistry Specialization Schools, as assessed through the same questionnaire. The variables related to the content and quantity of training received will be compared using the chi-square test (α = 0.05).

The questionnaire includes items from the validated Sleep Education Survey (American Academy of Neurology Sleep Section). Items are assessed on a categorical or ordinal scale; higher scores indicate greater exposure to sleep medicine education.
Baseline

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Fondazione Policlinico Universitario Agostino Gemelli IRCCS

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)

June 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

August 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

October 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 20, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 31, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 3, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 3, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 31, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 6531

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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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