Abstract

The aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate the results of bimaxillary expansion as a treatment option for pediatric sleep-disordered breathing.Forty-five children, aged 3-14 years, with sleep-disordered breathing underwent bimaxillary expansion. They were subjected to baseline clinical evaluations, cephalometric X-rays, and polygraphic sleep studies. Three to six months after bimaxillary expansion, posttreatment sleep studies were performed. Data were analyzed with nonparametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test, and Spearman's correlations were performed to correlate cephalometric facial structures to the effectiveness of treatment.The majority of the children (n?=?30) showed improvement in their sleep scores and symptoms after bimaxillary expansion. The initial severity of the obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) indicated by the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was a much better predictor of positive results. However, in the "mild OSA" group, patients with smaller MP-SN or counterclockwise mandibular growth, worsened with bimaxillary expansion, while patients with clockwise mandibular growth showed greater improvement; in the "severe OSA" group, patients who initially had shorter mandibular base lengths showed lesser AHI improvements.Bimaxillary expansion can be a treatment option for improving respiratory parameters in children with sleep-disordered breathing. This study also suggests that retrognathia in an anterior growth rotation pattern may not respond to efforts of bimaxillary expansion.

View details for DOI 10.1016/j.sleep.2016.03.011

View details for PubMedID 28215262