[Experimental factors influencing the growth of the jaws]

An experimental study evaluated the effect of various surgical procedures on maxillary growth. Raising and excision of palatine muco-periosteum did not modify facial or palatine growth. Resection of the bony palate showed the non-essential nature of the medial palaxine suture during normal growth, even in the transverse direction. Coagulation of the two posterior palaxine arteries disturbed palaxine growth, but ligature of the external carotid artery failed to alter facial growth. Several tests were carried out to determine the importance of functional matrices: excision of facial nerve trunk did not affect bone growth, destruction of the trigeminal provoked obvious disturbance of craniofacial growth while obturation of a nasal fossa produced no observable anomaly. Enucleation demonstrated the need for an intact globe for normal orbital growth, and resection of the mandibular condyle showed the primordial role of cartilaginous centers in mandibular growth.