What is it?

A look at whether rapid palatal expansion (RPE) treatment can improve air flow in pediatric patients’ nasal airways.

What problem does it aim to solve?

Nasal blockage is a common problem which can disrupt normal breathing and cause obstructive sleep apnea. Currently the main treatments involve surgery, which is generally not recommended until after the teen growth spurt is complete. Other treatment options could provide some relief earlier.

How does it work?

RPE treats upper-jaw constriction in growing patients. Although it mainly targets the mid-palate area, it impacts the airway width as well. Patients were measured before and after treatment, and also were scored using “Nasal Obstruction Symptom Evaluation”, or NOSE. The results: “The amount of expansion significantly correlated with changes in the NOSE score.”

What are the real-world implications?

“This may show the possibility of considering RPE in managing resistant pediatric nasal airways.”

What are the next steps?

Future studies should look at long-term impact and involve multidisciplinary teams.

Source

“Impact of rapid palatal expansion on the internal nasal valve and obstructive nasal symptoms in children”, Sleep Breath, 2021 Jun;25(2):1019-1027. doi: 10.1007/s11325-020-02140-y. Epub 2020 Jul 9.

Authors

Audrey Yoon, Sections of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, Division of Growth and Development, UCLA

School of Dentistry, Department of Orthodontics, University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry

Mohamed Abdelwahab, Division of Sleep Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery, School

of Medicine, Stanford University, Department of Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine,

Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt

Stanley Liu, Division of Sleep Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology—Head & Neck Surgery, School of Medicine,

Stanford University

James Oh, Sections of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, Division of Growth and Development, UCLA School

of Dentistry

Heeyeon Suh, Department of Orthodontics, University of the Pacific, Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry

Michael Trieu, UCLA School of Dentistry

Kevin Kang, UCLA School of Dentistry

Daniela Silva, Sections of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, Division of Growth and Development, UCLA

School of Dentistry