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11.03.2024 | Original Article
Breathing changes following mini-implant-supported maxillary skeletal expander treatment in late adolescent or adult patients
Assessment of objective and subjective functional breathing changes
Erschienen in: Journal of Orofacial Orthopedics / Fortschritte der Kieferorthopädie
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Purpose
The aim of this study was to assess objective and subjective breathing changes in adult patients who underwent maxillary skeletal expansion with the mini-implant-supported maxillary skeletal expander (MSE).
Methods
Twenty-nine patients (mean age 18.1 ± 4.3 years) who underwent expansion using the MSE were compared pre- and posttreatment and with a control group (mean age 19.9 ± 2.6 years) to assess objective and subjective functional breathing changes. Objective measurements of the airway including peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF) and peak oral inspiratory flow (POIF) were measured utilizing the In-Check medical device (Clement Clarke, Harlow, United Kingdom). Patients reported subjective breathing assessment utilizing the visual analog scale (VAS). Intragroup comparisons were performed with Wilcoxon tests and intergroup comparison with Mann–Whitney U tests. Spearman correlation coefficients were calculated among the studied variables (P < 0.05).
Results
Following MSE treatment, there were significantly higher values for PNIF total (P < 0.0001), PNIF right (P < 0.0001), PNIF left (P < 0.0001), and POIF (P < 0.01) compared to pretreatment and control group results. Also, patients reported a significant decrease in troubled breathing as measured by the VAS for breathing through the right nostril (P < 0.01), left nostril (P < 0.001), and both nostrils (P < 0.01). Comparing the objective and subjective variables for both the pre-MSE or post-MSE groups, the results indicated no significant correlation between total PNIF and total VAS. However, the values had significant correlations between PNIF and VAS on each side when the patients were asked to block one nostril.
Conclusions
Objective functional breathing measurements were increased immediately after treatment with MSE. Subjective functional breathing measurements changes were significantly higher after MSE treatment and compared with the control group. MSE presents a nonsurgical alternative to achieving orthopedic expansion in adult patients which may provide a benefit for patients with nasal airway obstruction.