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Surgically assisted maxillary expansion with or without pterygoid disjunction alters maxillomandibular positioning
Francisco Samuel Rodrigues Carvalho1, Eduardo Costa Studart Soares2, José Rômulo de Medeiros3
1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Federal University of Ceará Campus Sobral, Sobral, Ceará, Brazil. samuel.rcarvalho@gmail.com.
Purpose:
This study aimed to analyze alterations in mandibular positioning after surgically assisted maxillary expansion (SARME) with and without pterygoid disjunction (PD).
Methods:
Cone-beam computed tomography scans of 24 healthy individuals (18-45 years old) with transverse deficiency, superior to 5 mm, underwent SARME with or without PD. The aspects prospectively assessed were (1) alignment and position of the head (ITK-Snap and 3D Slicer software); (2) McNamara's and Steiner-Tweed-Wits' cephalometric analysis (Dolphin Imaging®); and (3) colorimetric evaluation based on 3D correspondence analysis (3D Slicer software).
Results:
A decrease in 1-NA and 1-SN angles as well as an increased occlusal plane in both groups was observed. Superior-inferior and anteroposterior spatial displacements of the chin were statistically significant in the PD group. Altered colorimetric patterns were also observed in the PD group.
Conclusions:
This study found more evident tooth inclination in the group without PD; mandibular alterations were more evident in the PD group. Further studies with 3D analysis are strongly recommended for more comprehensive results.
