Help on the Horizon for Snoring Children and Craniofacial Growth
Research presented at the 20th anniversary of the Meeting of the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM) has shown that children with enlarged tonsils and adenoids who wore an oral appliance for six months were prone to improvement in craniofacial growth, enlargement of pharyngeal dimensions, improved breathing during sleep and a decline in snoring.
As many of us know, having a problem in one part of the head or face can often lead to a problem in another; sore eyes tend to lead to a headache; earache can bring about an itchy throat; blocked sinuses can also cause headaches, etc. As such, the discovery of enlarged tonsils and dental malocclusion having a strong correlation with sleep disturbance and being a high cause of snoring for children may not come as a surprise. Some additional causes can be changes in craniofacial growth and an alteration in facial morphology, to the extent of causing OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea).
The research was conducted by evaluating the craniofacial growth of children who had enlarged tonsils and adenoids after they were given the dental appliance, Bioajusta X. As well as studying the changes the catalyst produced, the levels of snoring were also measured before and after the treatment.
The research was conducted on forty children waiting for adenotonsillectomy at the ENT department of the University of Sao Paulo Medical School. The age of the children was between six and nine years old, and they all suffered from some form of snoring, enlargement of tonsils and adenoid grade III and IV, and dental malocclusion (the constriction of maxilla and/or jaw deficiency)
The research has proved highly successful and the discovery is grabbing a certain amount of attention from the scientific and dental circles, to the extent that it is receiving the Graduate Student Research Award at the AADSM 20th Anniversary Meeting.
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