THREE-DIMENSIONAL EVALUATION OF UPPER AIRWAY VOLUME CHANGES AFTER RAPID MAXILLARY EXPANSION IN MOUTH BREATHING CHILDREN USING CONE BEAM COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY

THE INDIVIDUALS WITH MOUTH BREATHING POSSESS A NARROW AND V-SHAPED MAXILLARY ARCH, A HIGH PALATAL VAULT AND LONG FACE. RME ( RAPID MAXILLARY EXPANSION ) PROMOTES ORTHOPEDIC EXPANSION OF MAXILLA THROUGH SEPARATION OF THE MEDIAN PALATINE SUTURE, THUS CORRECTING POSTERIOR CROSSBITE. BECAUSE PALATE CORRESPONDS TO THE NASAL BASE, NASAL CONSEQUENCES DUE TO THIS PROCEDURE HAVE BEEN CITED. THE NASAL MODIFICATIONS DUE TO RME MAY THEREBY IMPROVE THE RESPIRATORY PATTERN. AS A RESULT, SOME INVESTIGATORS HAVE STATED THAT THE PROCEDURE REDUCES NASAL AIR RESISTANCE AND INCREASES NASAL VOLUME. THE EFFECTS OF RME OVER NASAL SIZE AND VOLUME HAVE BEEN RESEARCHED WITH VARIOUS PROCEDURES SUCH AS LATERAL CEPHALOGRAMS, ANTEROPOSTERIOR RADIOGRAPHS, MULTISLICE CT. LAT CEPH AND AP VIEW GIVES TWO DIMENSIONAL PICTURE WHEREAS THERE IS HIGH RADIATION HAZARD WITH CT.

LOW COST, LOWER RADIATION DOSE, SHORTER SCANNING TIME AND OVERALL ACCURACY HAS MADE CBCT TECHNOLOGY A PREFERRED METHOD TO ASSESS AIRWAY. CBCT HAS MADE IT POSSIBLE TO VISUALIZE AIRWAY AS A SOLID STRUCTURE. HENCE IN THIS STUDY WE WILL EVALUATE UPPER AIRWAY CHANGES AND AT THE SAME TIME ASSESS ITS EFFECT ON MOUTH BREATHING HABIT.

MOUTH  BREATHING HABIT WOULD BE EVALUATED USING MIRROR TEST AND BUTTERFLY TEST.