Effect of rapid maxillary expansion on skeletal, dental, and nasal structures: a postero-anterior cephalometric study

The purpose of this study was to compare the transverse dimensions of skeletal, dental, and nasal structures of a group of patients with maxillary narrowness before and after rapid maxillary expansion (RME) with an untreated control group using postero-anterior (PA) cephalometric radiographs. The material consisted of PA cephalograms of 25 children with a posterior crossbite (mean age 13 years 4 months), and 25 age- and sex-matched controls (mean age 13 years 11 months). Both groups consisted of 20 females and five males. Thirty-four reference points were digitized using the Dentofacial Planner software program. The 17 variables studied consisted of six skeletal, four dental, and seven intra-nasal linear measurements. Student's t-tests were used to compare the differences between the groups, and the effect of RME on skeletal, dental, and nasal structures. RME produced small, but statistically significant changes in maxillary width, upper and lower molar widths, the width between upper central incisor apices, and intra-nasal width. When compared with previous studies, the changes observed were similar for patients of a similar age group, but less than reported for a younger population. There is some evidence that the pattern of expansion produced by RME will vary depending on the age and maturity of the subject.