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Do changes in spheno-occipital synchondrosis after rapid maxillary expansion affect the maxillomandibular complex?
A Silvestrini-Biavati1, F Angiero, A Gambino
1Department of Surgical Sciences, University of Genoa, Italy. armando.silvestrini@tin.it
Aim:
This was to evaluate changes in spheno-occipital synchondrosis one year after rapid maxillary expansion (RME), in order to assess the influence that any change might have on sagittal and vertical skeletal cephalometric variables.
Materials And Methods:
Patients were selected consecutively and grouped into: Group 1 comprised 30 Caucasian patients (13 m; 17 f) undergoing RME therapy; after active expansion therapy, the Haas expander was worn as passive retainer for an average of 7 months. Group 2 as control included 14 untreated subjects (6 m, 8 f), matched by age, sex and vertebral skeletal maturity (CVM method, stages 1-3). Six cephalometric variables concerning spheno-occipital synchondrosis were studied: N-S-Ba; SOS-Ba; SOS-S; S-Ba; Ba-N; S-N; nine skeletal variables for sagittal and vertical evaluation were also checked. T-test was used for comparing the 2 groups data.
Results:
A statistically-significant opening of the spheno-occipital synchondrosis and increase of the posterior cranial base length (Ba-SOS) were found between group 1 and 2. After 1 year, these modifications in spheno-occipital syncondrosis produced no change in the anteroposterior or vertical skeletal parameters examined.
Conclusion:
After RME there were statistically significant effects on spheno-occipital synchondrosis length and cranial base angle; however, these changes in the mid-term did not affect the vertical or sagittal parameters of the skeletal maxillomandibular complex.
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