Tooth-Bone-Borne vs Bone-Borne Rapid Maxillary Expanders on Dentoskeletal Changes

Area of Science:

• Orthodontics
• Craniofacial Surgery
• Biomaterials

Background:

• Adult rapid palatal expansion presents unique challenges due to suture maturation.
• Microimplant-assisted rapid palatal expansion (MARPE) and bone-anchored maxillary expander (BAME) are advanced techniques for maxillary expansion.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare MARPE and BAME in adults regarding cortical bone changes, midpalatal suture parallelism, and skeletal transverse dimension.
• To evaluate the effects of these expansion methods on specific craniofacial structures.

Main Methods:

• 18 adult patients treated with MARPE and 18 with BAME.
• Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans were acquired pre- and post-expansion.

Main Results:

• Both MARPE and BAME significantly increased maxillary and mandibular width.
• Palatal depth decreased significantly post-treatment.
• Cortical bone insertion and width showed non-significant increases.
• BAME showed a higher frequency of anterior suture opening compared to MARPE.
• Midpalatal suture opening was parallel in both groups, irrespective of maturation.

Conclusions:

• MARPE and BAME yield comparable results in midpalatal suture parallelism and cortical bone changes.
• Both methods effectively increase transverse dimensions in adult maxillas.
• The choice between MARPE and BAME may depend on specific treatment goals, such as anterior suture opening.