Efficacy of rapid maxillary expansion in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Literature review

Abstract

Introduction. Rapid maxillary expansion is one of the treatments indicated in cases of transverse constriction of the maxilla in order to improve orofacial functional and esthetic aspects. Objective. To carry out a review of the scientific literature on the efficacy of rapid maxillary expansion in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.  Methodology. A descriptive and critical literature review was performed through digital databases such as: PubMed, Scielo and Google Academic. Articles were included from March 2018 to February 2023 published in the following languages: Portuguese, English and Spanish. Results. A total of 29 articles were collected and the efficacy of rapid maxillary expansion as a treatment for sleep apnea was analyzed. Conclusion. We can conclude that most of the studies evaluated mention the existence of a notable positive change in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome after the application of treatments that expand the palatal bone, such as RME.