Predicting Growth Markers for Effective Palatal Expansion: A Comparative Study of DMPS, SMPS, and CVM

Effective planning and prediction of outcomes in orthodontic treatments require clinicians to identify precise growth markers. These markers play a critical role in determining the appropriate treatment strategy for patients.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the relationship between midpalatal suture density (DMPS), the stage of maturation and morphology of the midpalatal suture (SMPS), and cervical vertebra maturation (CVM) across age groups and sexes to provide insight into their interdependence.

The sample size of this cross-sectional study was estimated using the sample size tables for logistic regression, with α=0.05 and a power of 80%. This study analyzed archived CBCT images and lateral cephalograms of 80 patients aged 7-30 years. The sample was divided into eight age groups. Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to assess the relationships between DMPS, SMPS, and CVM. p Value< 0.05 was considered significant.

The findings revealed significant correlations between CVM, DMPS, and SMPS in both males and females. Among females, the strongest correlations were between age and DMPS (r= 0.791), age and CVM (r= 0.750), and CVM and DMPS (r= 0.769). Similar trends were observed in males, with the highest correlations between age and DMPS (r= 0.832) and CVM and DMPS (r= 0.805). Across all age groups, DMPS showed the highest correlation with age, while SMPS exhibited the lowest.

A highly significant relationship was identified between the SMPS, DMPS, and CVM parameters at all ages and in both sexes. The highest correlation belonged to age and DMPS, and the lowest correlation belonged to age and SMPS. Therefore, it can be concluded that DMPS can be estimated based on the patient's age, and vice versa to some extent. Furthermore, the correlation was stronger in men than in women, indicating a higher likelihood of a relationship.