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Updated: Jul 26, 2025
Author Spotlight: Development of a Novel Finite Element Analysis Model for Improved Orthognathic Surgical Techniques
Published on: October 20, 2023
Effects of novel microimplant-assisted rapid palatal expanders manufactured by 3-dimensional printing technology:
Shengyuan Pan1, Xiang Gao1, Jicheng Sun1
1College of Stomatology, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China; Chongqing Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases and Biomedical Sciences, Chongqing, China; Chongqing Municipal Key Laboratory of Oral Biomedical Engineering of Higher Education, Chongqing, China.
Introduction:
The expansion effects of several new microimplant-assisted rapid palatal expanders (MARPEs) manufactured by 3-dimensional printing technology were evaluated by finite element analysis (FEA). The aim was to identify a novel MARPE suitable for treating maxillary transverse deficiency.
Methods:
The finite element model was established using MIMICS software (version 19.0; Materialise, Leuven, Belgium). First, the appropriate microimplant insertion characteristics were identified via FEA, and several MARPEs with the above insertion patterns were manufactured by 3-dimensional printing technology. Then, the stress distribution and displacement prediction of the 4 MARPEs and hyrax expander (model E) were evaluated via FEA: bone-borne (model A), bone-tooth-borne (model B), bone-mucous-borne (model C), bone-tooth-mucous-borne (model D).
Results:
Monocortical microimplants perpendicular to the cortical bone on the coronal plane resulted in better expansion effects. Compared with a conventional hyrax expander, the orthopedic expansion of each of the 4 MARPEs was far larger, the parallelism was greater, and the posterior teeth tipping rate was lower. Among them, the expansion effects of models C and D were the best; the von Mises peak values on the surfaces of the microimplants were smaller than those of models A and B.
Conclusions:
This study may demonstrate that the 4 MARPEs obtained more advantageous orthopedic expansion effects than a hyrax expander. Models C and D obtained better biomechanical effects and had better primary stability. Overall, model D is the recommended expander for treating maxillary transverse deficiency because its structure acts like an implant guide and is beneficial for the accurate insertion of the microimplant.
