26 July 2023

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Does rapid maxillary expansion improve nasal airway obstruction?

Davide Elsido

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Rapid maxillary expansion (RME) expands the maxillary dentition laterally and improves nasal airway obstruction. However, the incidence of nasal airway obstruction improvement after RME is approximately 60 percent. This study, published online in May 2023 in the American Journal of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, aimed to clarify the beneficial effects of RME on nasal airway obstruction in specific pathologic nasal airway diseases (nasal mucosa hypertrophy and obstructive adenoids) using computer fluid dynamics.

Sixty subjects (21 boys; mean age 9.1 years) were divided into three groups according to their nasal airway condition (control, nasal mucosa hypertrophy, and obstructive adenoids), and those requiring RME had cone-beam computed tomography images taken before and after RME. These data were used to evaluate the nasal airway ventilation condition (pressure) using computer fluid dynamics and measure the cross-sectional area of the nasal airway.

The cross-sectional area of the nasal airway significantly increased after RME in all 3 groups. The pressures in the control and nasal mucosa groups significantly reduced after RME but did not change significantly in the adenoid group. The incidence of improvement in nasal airway obstruction in the control, nasal mucosa, and adenoid groups was 90.0%, 31.6%, and 23.1%, respectively.

The incidence of improvement in nasal airway obstruction after RME depends on the nasal airway condition (nasal mucosa hypertrophy and obstructive adenoids). In patients with nonpathological nasal airway conditions, the obstruction may be sufficiently improved with RME. Furthermore, to some extent, RME may be effective in treating nasal mucosa hypertrophy. However, because of obstructive adenoids, RME was ineffective in patients with nasal airway obstruction.

Highlights

• In normal children, nasal airway obstruction improves after rapid maxillary expansion (RME).
• In nasal mucosa hypertrophy children, RME improves nasal airway obstruction to some extent.
• RME is not effective in addressing obstruction among children with adenoids.

For more information: "Does rapid maxillary expansion improve nasal airway obstruction? A computer fluid dynamics study in patients with nasal mucosa hypertrophy and obstructive adenoids."