Three-dimensional changes of the naso-maxillary complex following rapid maxillary expansion

Abstract

Objective: To assess the volumetric changes and the maxillary response of the naso-maxillary complex (NMC) following rapid maxillary expansion (RME). Materials and Methods: Thirty consecutive patients (14 males and 16 females) with a mean age at first observation of 9.5 6 1.8 years for males and of 11.8 6 1.7 years for females, presenting a posterior unilateral or bilateral crossbite and requiring RME, were selected for the study. Each patient underwent expansion to correct the transverse occlusal relationships. Computed tomography scans were taken before RME (T1) and at the end of the active expansion phase (T2). Measurements were performed on scanned images. The Kolmogorov-Smirnov test was performed; the mean differences between measurements at T1 and T2 were compared using the ttest (a 5 .05). Results: All volumetric, maxillary, transverse skeletal anterior and posterior variables as well as all dental anterior and posterior linear and angular variables representing the NMC displayed statistically highly significant increases after RME (P , .001). Conclusions: After RME the total volume of the NMC increased by 12%, the nasal volume by 17%, and the maxillary volume by 10.6%. The maxillary and the nasal contributions represented 69. 75% and 30.25%, respectively. (Angle Orthod. 2014;84:88-95.)

The role of rapid maxillary expansion in the promotion of oral and general health

“…Traditionally, studies on the changes in upper airway dimensions have consisted of analyzing the RME posttreatment effects with two-dimensional (2D) cephalometric radiographs. Recently, the reduction in radiation dose obtained with cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and low-dose multislice computed tomography (CT) has allowed the development of software capable of computing nasal airway volume [ 12 ].…”

A preliminary 3‐D comparison of rapid and slow maxillary expansion in children: A randomized clinical trial

“…Maxillary expansion has been performed for more than a century to correct transverse deficiencies, expand arch perimeter (to alleviate crowding), and alter nasal volume . In general, treatments can be categorized as either slow maxillary expansion (SME) or rapid maxillary expansion (RME).…”

Effect of rapid maxillary expansion on nasal cavity assessed with cone-beam computed tomography

“…[26][27][28] CBCT has been introduced on dental literature as an innovation in the way of acquiring volumetric images, 12 with subsequent multiplanar reconstruction. 24 A great number of researches evaluating the effects of RME using CBCT have been developed over the last few years, [28][29][30][31][32][33] most of them focusing on volumetric changes, 10,12,23,[25][26][27][34][35][36][37][38] although it is also very important to analyze changes in linear dimensions. In this context, methods that allow a more objective analysis of linear changes induced by expansion are anticipated.…”