Effect of myofunctional therapy associated with rapid palatal expansion on the restoration of nasal breathing in pediatric patients

Abstract

Background: Transverse maxillary deficiency in pediatric patients is often linked to chronic oral breathing and dysfunctional neuromuscular patterns, such as low tongue posture. Rapid Palatal Expansion (RPE) corrects skeletal discrepancies, but structural expansion alone may not suffice to restore physiological nasal breathing if behavioral habits persist [1].

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of RPE alone compared to RPE combined with myofunctional therapy (MFT) in restoring nasal breathing in pediatric subjects.

Materials and Methods: Forty patients (8–12 years) with maxillary deficiency and oral breathing were divided into two groups: Group 1 (n=20) received RPE only; Group 2 (n=20) received RPE plus a 4-month MFT program [2]. Evaluations were performed at T0 and 6 months post-initiation (T1) using the Glatzel mirror test and clinical scoring for bruxism, nocturnal movements, drooling, and lip incompetence [3,4].

Results: At T1, Group 2 showed significantly superior outcomes across all parameters (p < 0.001). Symmetrical nasal airflow was achieved in 90% of Group 2 subjects, compared with 60% in Group 1. Furthermore, the prevalence of oral breathing dropped to 10% in the combined therapy group, compared to 40% in the RPE-only group.

Conclusions: Integrating myofunctional therapy with RPE is significantly more effective than structural correction alone for restoring nasal breathing. This multidisciplinary approach addresses both anatomical deficiencies and underlying dysfunctional habits, ensuring more stable clinical outcomes in pediatric orthodontics.