Preliminary results on the impact of simultaneous palatal expansion and mandibular advancement on the respiratory status recorded during sleep in OSAS children.

INTRODUCTION: The study aimed to evaluate the evolution of the respiratory status during sleep of OSAS children treated with a custom-made device combining maxillary expansion and mandibular advancement. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Sleep studies were performed before and after the treatment for 103 children presenting an initial OSAS and Class II malocclusion. Sleep questionnaires were also addressed to parents several years after the end of the treatment to evaluate its long-term effects. RESULTS: After nine months of treatment, the sleep breathing quality significantly improved: the Apnea/Hypopnea Index systematically decreased </=5. According to the sleep questionnaires results, 84% of the patients did not show any loud or troubled breathing several years after the end of the treatment. DISCUSSION: Simultaneous maxillary expansion and mandibular advancement induced an increase of the oral space in the three spatial dimensions, helping in the significant improvement of the OSAS symptoms, with long-terms effects on the sleep breathing quality.