Effects of rapid maxillary expansion on auditory thresholds and middle ear functioning

Purpose  To ascertain whether Rapid Maxillary Expansion (RME) elicits effects on the functioning of the middle ear and air-bone gaps in children and adolescents.

Methods  Single-arm clinical trial, with data collection at four time points: before initiating Rapid Maxillary Expansion (RME) (T0), upon completion of RME (T1), three months post-RME completion (T2), and six months post-RME procedure (T3). The audiological assessment, conducted at all four time points, comprised otoscopy, pure tone and speech audiometry, tympanometry, and acoustic reflex investigation.

Results  Eighteen children and adolescents met the eligibility criteria. There was a reduction in air-bone gaps and an improvement in middle ear function throughout the follow-up period, between T0, T1, T2, and T3. Three months after the completion of RME, at T2, all patients exhibited type A tympanometric curves, and six months after RME, at T3, there was an absence of air-bone gaps and ipsilateral and contralateral acoustic reflexes present in the entire sample.

Conclusion  In the studied sample, it was observed that Rapid Maxillary Expansion (RME) led to a gradual reduction in air-bone gaps, resulting in appropriate middle ear function in children and adolescents with transverse maxillary atresia.

Keywords:
Hearing; Hearing Loss; Palatal Expansion Technique; Maxilla; Children; Adolescents