Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 22, 2026

Author Spotlight: Development of a Novel Finite Element Analysis Model for Improved Orthognathic Surgical Techniques
Published on: October 20, 2023
Nasal soft- and hard-tissue changes following tooth-borne and hybrid surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion: A
Emre Kayalar1, Michael Schauseil2, Andreas Hellak2
1Departments of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Istanbul University, Istanbul, Turkey; Private Practice, Orthodontist (PhD), Istanbul, Turkey.
Purpose:
The aim of this study was to assess the effects of tooth/bone-borne (hybrid) and tooth-borne (TB) surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion (SARME) on the width of the nasal soft and hard tissue.
Patients And Methods:
Twenty skeletally mature patients (nine males and 11 females; mean age 19.4 years) with transverse maxillary hypoplasia were randomly assigned to hybrid or TB devices. The patients had undergone SARME operations, performed by the same surgical team using the same procedure (Le Fort I osteotomy with pterygomaxillary dysjunction, midline osteotomy, and no down-fracture). Nasal soft- and hard-tissue changes were analyzed using CBCT preoperatively (T0), at the end of the active expansion phase (T1), and after 6 months of retention (T2). The study was approved by the relevant ethics committee.
Results:
The skeletal and soft-tissue nasal parameters increased significantly in the T0-T1 and T0-T2 periods in both groups (P < 0.05). No statistically significant differences between the groups were observed. The mean piriform aperture width increased from 1.26 mm in T0-T1 to 0.97 mm in T1-T2 and 2.17 mm in T0-T2 (P < 0.008). In the soft tissue, the alar base width increased to 2.78 mm and the alar width to 2.95 mm in T0-T2 (P = 0.001). There was a positive correlation (63.6%) between the changes in skeletal and soft-tissue values.
Conclusion:
The hybrid and TB devices led to similarly significant widening effects in nasal soft and hard tissues in both the short term and 6 months after SARME.
Related Concept Videos
Imaging Studies III: Computed Tomography
Computed Tomography
The technique was invented in the 1970s and is based on the principle that as X-rays pass through the body, they are absorbed or reflected at different levels. In the technique, a patient lies on a motorized platform while a computerized axial tomography (CAT) scanner rotates...
The Born-Haber Cycle
Bioequivalence Experimental Study Designs: Completely Randomized and Randomized Block Designs
Tooth Anatomy
The Crown, Neck, and Root
The visible part of the tooth is referred to as the crown. It's covered by enamel, the hardest substance in the human body. The crown is uniquely shaped for each type of tooth, allowing for different functions such as cutting, tearing, or...
Beams
Based on geometry, beams can be straight, tapered, or curved. Straight beams are the most common type and have a constant cross-section throughout their length. Tapered beams, on the other hand, have a varying cross-section along...

