Does maxillary expansion improve hearing loss due to otitis media with effusion?

Some authors emphasized that maxillary expansion had a positive effect on impaired hearing due to otitis media with effusion (OME). The goal of this study was to compare the improvement of hearing loss degrees of patients treated with rapid maxillary expansion (RME) and patients watched for spontaneous resolution. This study was conducted with audiometric and tympanometric records of 22 patients with OME. Group 1 consisted of patients who had OME and needed RME (n=12), and group 2 consisted of patients who had OME and were observed for spontaneous resolution (n=10). In-group 1, records were taken before expansion (T0), just after RME (T1), after the retention period (T2), and 6 months after expansion (T3). In-group 2, T0 and T2 records were taken. In-group 1, hearing levels improved and air-bone gaps (ABG) decreased significantly after RME (p<0.05). This improvement showed a relapse with T2 and T3 records. In-group 2, no significant change was observed in hearing levels but ABG levels decreased significantly (p<0.05). The extent of healing level was not significantly different between the maxillary expansion and control groups when T2-T0 records were compared. The results of this study indicated that RME improved hearing levels and decreased ABG after expansion in children with OME; however, a relapse occurred after the retention. ABG levels in both groups exhibited similar decreases after retention. RME, although it is not a major treatment for OME, it can be said that it has positive effects for OME when applied within orthodontic indication.