Effect of treatment of transverse maxillary deficiency using rapid palatal expansion on oral health-related quality of life in children: A randomized controlled trial

Abstract

This trial aimed to longitudinally evaluate the effect of the treatment of transverse maxillary deficiency using rapid palatal expansion (RPE) on self-perceived oral health-related quality of life (OHRQOL) in children. Eighty participants aged 8-10years with transverse maxillary deficiency and bilateral posterior crossbite were randomly assigned to 2 groups (n=40 each): a group treated with RPE using hyrax-type appliances and a nontreated control group. OHRQOL was assessed by using the Child Perceptions Questionnaire for 8-10-year-olds at 4 times: before RPE, during RPE (T1), at the end of RPE (T2), and 1month after the appliance removal (T3). Generalized mixed models were used for data analysis (α=0.05). Both groups exhibited similar demographic characteristics and OHRQOL scores at baseline. All participants completed the study. RPE had a time-dependent effect on OHRQOL. At T1 and T2, this therapy is expected to increase the overall OHRQOL scores by 1.17 times (ie, ∼17% increase; T1 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.08-1.26; T2 95% CI, 1.09-1.27; P=0.001). In contrast, the overall OHRQOL scores at T3 are expected to be 0.28 times the baseline scores (ie, ∼72% reduction; T3 95% CI, 0.26-0.31; P=0.001). All individual domains of the OHRQOL evidenced a positive impact of treatment at T3 (P=0.001). Only the oral symptoms and social well-being domains showed a significantly negative impact of the treatment at T1 and T2. Correction of the transverse maxillary deficiency by RPE in children aged 8-10years improves OHRQOL. There is a temporary worsening of OHRQOL during the treatment of this condition using RPE. This trial was not registered. The protocol was not published before trial commencement. This study was financed by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brazil, Financing Code001.