The Association Between Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) Therapy and Midfacial Growth: A cross-sectional cephalometric comparison

Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) is a form of sleep-disordered breathing in children that is characterized by recurrent episodes of partial or complete airway obstruction during sleep. Treatment options include adenotonsillectomy and Positive Airway Pressure (PAP) therapy delivered via nasal/oral mask. A cross-sectional cephalometric comparison was conducted to compare two groups of children with OSAS, a Study group consisting of patients using PAP therapy and a control group not using PAP therapy. Lateral cephalograms were obtained from 3-dimensional volumetric scans and digitized to obtain a series of 14 cephalometric variables that were measured for each subject. Statistical analysis comparing the two groups showed no significant difference in craniofacial morphology between them but significant differences between the study groups and normative data. The major differences were shorter cranial base and a more vertical facial growth pattern in children with OSAS as compared to normative data.