OAP Treatment for Newborns With Robin Sequence (RS)

When your child is born with Pierre Robin sequence (a receding chin that interferes with normal breathing and feeding) you may hear that there is only one treatment option–jaw elongation surgery, also called mandibular (lower jaw) distraction osteogenesis (MDO). While jaw surgery can be an effective treatment, we offer you and your child a non-surgical alternative: orthodontic airway plate (OAP) treatment. Our Stanford OAP Treatment Program is the first of its kind in the United States.

Highlights

  • A novel treatment born from innovation. Through research and years of clinical experience treating newborns with congenital facial deformities, one of our craniofacial and airway orthodontists—HyeRan Choo, DDS, DMD, MS—invented a novel OAP design that is simple and often as effective as jaw surgery in some babies with Pierre Robin sequence. We are the only children’s hospital in the nation to offer OAP treatment.
  • Multi-specialty evaluation and treatment. When you receive care from us, you not only receive care from a specialized craniofacial and airway orthodontist but also from experts in Neonatology, Genetics, Pediatric Otolaryngology (ENT), Gastroenterology, Pulmonary, Asthma & Sleep Medicine Center, Critical Care, Pediatric Plastic Surgery, Speech-Language Pathology and specially-trained nurses. Multi-specialty care often results in better, more nuanced care for your baby.
  • High chance of success, even for severe cases of small jaw. Since implementing our OAP treatment at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health in 2019, we have treated more than 25 babies, all of whom were able to avoid jaw surgery or tracheostomy. 

Orthodontic airway plate (OAP) before and afterOrthodontic airway plate (OAP) before and after