Maxillomandibular advancement effectively treats obstructive sleep apnea in adolescents at short-term follow-up.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the efficacy of maxillomandibular advancement (MMA) surgery for the treatment of malocclusion and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in an adolescent population.

STUDY

DESIGN

A retrospective cohort study was designed using electronic medical record chart review.

RESULTS

Fifteen patients aged 20 years or younger (range, 14-20) were included. All patients underwent MMA surgery for the primary correction of malocclusion and secondary treatment of OSA. Mean preoperative apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was 28.9 ± 16.0 events/h (range, 7.1-54.7), and mean postoperative AHI was 5.7 ± 4.6 events/h (range, 1.5-18.4), reflecting a reduction of 23.2 events/h, an 80.6% reduction (P < .001). Fourteen patients (93.3%) experienced improvement in AHI. Mean minimal posterior airway space increased from 4.6 mm to 8.6 mm (P < .001). Mean posterior airway space at the level of the uvular tip increased from 6.7 mm to 11.5 mm (P < .001). Patients who underwent adjunct genioglossus advancement (GGA) had a mean decrease in AHI of 35.3 events/h (P = .004), which was not significantly different from the decrease in those who did not receive GGA.

CONCLUSIONS

MMA surgery with or without GGA is an effective treatment option for adolescents with a malocclusion and an AHI >5.0 events/h. In this population, it is shown to decrease AHI and increase posterior airway space. More research is required to determine the ideal adolescent candidate for MMA surgery.