THE INFLUENCE OF RAPID MAXILLARY EXPANSION ON IMPROVING RESPIRATORY EFFICIENCY IN CHILDREN WITH MAXILLARY ATRESIA: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Maxillary atresia is a craniofacial dysmorphia that can be associated with respiratory dysfunction in children. The treatment for correcting atretic maxillary in young patients is rapid maxillary expansion (RME), which causes rupture of the median palatal suture, transversely increasing the bone. In addition to all the changes occurring in the maxilla, the sinonasal complex also appears to undergo changes generated by the increase in nasal width close to this structure. Through this literature review, this study aims to analyze the influence of RME on upper airway volume gain in children with maxillary atresia. A search was carried out through the Pubmed, Scielo, Lilacs, and Google Scholar databases. The keywords used were: maxillary atresia, maxillary expansion, rapid maxillary expansion, Haas expander, Hyrax expander, and ERM with the additive upper airways. Articles in English and Portuguese were included, without using publication time restrictions. Studies that were not related to ERM, maxillary atresia, and improvement of respiratory function in children were excluded. In the results, the benefits of rapid maxillary expansion were observed in the improvement of respiratory efficiency, so the treatment is a valid and effective option for the pediatric population with such dysfunction.