Objective: Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) is a reliable method of assessing the oral cavity and upper airways. We conducted this study to examine the changes introduced by rapid maxillary expansion in the nasal cavity, nasopharynx, and oropharynx as seen with images obtained by CBCT. Materials and Methods: We evaluated 15 patients with maxillary width deficiency treated with RME. Patients were subjected to CBCT at the beginning of RME and after the retention period of 4 months. Results: The nasal cavity presented a significant transverse increase in the lower third, in the anterior (1.08 mm 6 0.15), medium (1.28 mm 6 0.15), and posterior regions (0.77 mm 6 0.12). No significant change occurred in the nasopharynx in volume (P 5 .11), median sagittal area (P 5 .33), or lower axial area (P 5 .29) resulting from the RME. A significant change was noted in the oropharynx in volume (P 5 .05), median sagittal area (P 5 .01), and lower axial area (P 5 .04) before and immediately after the RME. Conclusions: RME is able to increase the transverse width of the nasal cavity, but it does not have the same effect in the nasopharynx. Changes noted in the oropharynx may be due to the lack of a standardized position of the head and tongue at the time of image acquisition. (Angle Orthod. 2012;82:458-463.)

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Abstract:The relationship of mandibular condyle dimensions and its association with unilateral posterior crossbite (UPXB) has been suggested in the literature. The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate mandibular condyles on the left and right sides and between crossed and non-crossed sides in the sagittal and coronal planes, using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Twenty CBCT images of 40 temporo mandibular joints (TMJs) in individuals in mixed dentition phase, which included 9 males (mean 7.9 years) and 11 females (mean 8.2 years), with unilateral posterior crossbite without premature contacts and functional mandibular shifts and with transverse maxillary deficiency. The criteria for sample exclusion included the presence of painful symptoms, facial trauma history, systemic diseases such as juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, mouth opening limitation (< 40 mm), congenital or genetic anomalies, and skeletal asymmetries that may result in TMJ disorders. Dimensional measurements of the condyles between the right and left sides and crossed and non-crossed sides in sagittal and coronal view were made. There was no significant difference between the measurements of the crossed and non-crossed sides in both sagittal and coronal view. These findings suggest that the presence of unilateral posterior crossbite in children with UPXB did not result in changes between the mandibular condyles in the right and left sides or between the crossed and non-crossed sides in the coronal or sagittal plane.

Contemporary eating habits may cause malformations in children jaw, that are difficult to evaluate and treat clinically. In this work, a computational methodology for the diagnosis and the treatment of this pathology is proposed. It combines porous-fibrous material models, medical devices and computational models of patients with facial asymmetries from the perspective of neuro-occlusal rehabilitation.

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