Cephalometric evaluation of the post surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion stability

Pedro Luis SCATRAREGI, Danilo Furquim SIQUEIRA

Aim: This study evaluated the stability of the dental and skeletal changes produced by the Surgically Assisted Rapid Maxillary Expansion (SARME) in transversal and vertical dimensions. Methods: The sample selected for this retrospective study was comprised by 60 posteroanterior cephalograms, of 15 patients (6 males and 9 females), with mean age of 23.3 years. An Hyrax appliance was used and the surgical procedure was characterized by the midsagittal osteotomy and non approach of pterygopalatine suture. The beginning of activation occurred in the third postoperative day, being that the limits for the expansion were determined by eminently clinical criteria. All the patients were radiographed in the following phases: pre-expansion (T1), immediate post-expansion (T2), three months post-expansion (with the Hyrax appliance as retention) (T3), and six months post-expansion (with the acrylic removable plate as retention) (T4). Linear measurements were obtained from the cephalograms tracings generated by a computerized program (Radiocef Studio 2) and statistically analyzed by the variance test (ANOVA) and Tukey at the 5% level of signifi cance. Results and Conclusion: It was concluded that SARME produced a statistically significant increase of nasal cavity, maxillary width, upper intermolars distance, from T1 to T2, which were maintained in T3 and T4. The facial width and the lower intermolars distance did not presented changes after the SARME. Evaluating the vertical behavior of the face, it was observed an increase of anterior inferior facial height in phases T1 to T2 that decreased after three months of retention (T3) and maintained stable in T4, although increased if compared with T1.

Keywords: Maxillary expansion. Maxillofacial surgery. Cephalometrics.

Sunday, May 05, 2024 12:23