Editing Sleep apnea (section)

===Rapid palatal expansion===
{{see also|Palatal expansion}}

In children, [[Orthodontics|orthodontic]] treatment to expand the volume of the nasal airway, such as nonsurgical rapid [[palatal expansion]] is common. The procedure has been found to significantly decrease the AHI and lead to long-term resolution of clinical symptoms.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Villa |first1=Maria Pia |last2=Rizzoli |first2=Alessandra |last3=Miano |first3=Silvia |last4=Malagola |first4=Caterina |title=Efficacy of rapid maxillary expansion in children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: 36 months of follow-up |journal=Sleep and Breathing |date=1 May 2011 |volume=15 |issue=2 |pages=179–184 |doi=10.1007/s11325-011-0505-1 |pmid=21437777 |s2cid=4505051 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Machado-Júnior |first1=Almiro-José |last2=Zancanella |first2=Edilson |last3=Crespo |first3=Agrício-Nubiato |title=Rapid maxillary expansion and obstructive sleep apnea: A review and meta-analysis |journal=Medicina Oral, Patología Oral y Cirugía Bucal |date=2016 |volume=21 |issue=4 |pages=e465–e469 |doi=10.4317/medoral.21073 |pmid=27031063 |pmc=4920460 }}</ref>

Since the palatal suture is fused in adults, regular RPE using tooth-borne expanders cannot be performed. Mini-implant assisted rapid palatal expansion (MARPE) has been recently developed as a non-surgical option for the transverse expansion of the [[maxilla]] in adults. This method increases the volume of the nasal cavity and [[Pharynx|nasopharynx]], leading to increased airflow and reduced respiratory arousals during sleep.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Li |first1=Qiming |last2=Tang |first2=Hongyi |last3=Liu |first3=Xueye |last4=Luo |first4=Qing |last5=Jiang |first5=Zhe |last6=Martin |first6=Domingo |last7=Guo |first7=Jing |title=Comparison of dimensions and volume of upper airway before and after mini-implant assisted rapid maxillary expansion |journal=The Angle Orthodontist |date=1 May 2020 |volume=90 |issue=3 |pages=432–441 |doi=10.2319/080919-522.1 |pmid=33378437 |pmc=8032299 |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Abdullatif |first1=Jose |last2=Certal |first2=Victor |last3=Zaghi |first3=Soroush |last4=Song |first4=Sungjin A. |last5=Chang |first5=Edward T. |last6=Gillespie |first6=M. Boyd |last7=Camacho |first7=Macario |title=Maxillary expansion and maxillomandibular expansion for adult OSA: A systematic review and meta-analysis |journal=Journal of Cranio-Maxillofacial Surgery |date=1 May 2016 |volume=44 |issue=5 |pages=574–578 |doi=10.1016/j.jcms.2016.02.001 |pmid=26948172 }}</ref> Changes are permanent with minimal complications.