Changes in nasal air flow and school grades after rapid maxillary expansion in oral breathing children

Objective: To analyse the changes in nasal air flow and school grades after rapid maxillary expansion (RME) in oral breathing children with maxillary constriction. Material and Methods: Forty-four oral breathing children (mean age 10.57 y) underwent orthodontic RME with a Hyrax screw. Forty-four age-matched children (mean age 10.64 y) with nasal physiological breathing and adequate transverse maxillary dimensions served as the control group. The maxillary widths, nasal air flow assessed via peak nasal inspiratory flow (PNIF), and school grades were recorded at baseline, and 6 months and one year following RME. Results: After RME, there were significant increases in all the maxillary widths in the study group. PNIF was reduced in the study group (60.91 ± 13.13 l/min) compared to the control group (94.50 ± 9.89 l/min) (P < 0.000) at the beginning of the study. Six months after RME, a significant improvement of PNIF was observed in the study group (36.43 ± 22.61). School grades were lower in the study group (85.52 ± 5.74) than in the control group (89.77 ± 4.44) (P < 0.05) at the baseline, but it increased six months after RME (2.77 ± 3.90) (P < 0.001) and one year later (5.02 ± 15.23) (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Nasal air flow improved in oral breathing children six months and one year after RME. School grades also improved, but not high enough to be academically significant. Key words:Maxillary constriction, oral breathing, nasal air flow, rapid maxillary expansion, school grades.