Bioengineering
Multiplanar Skeletal and Dentoalveolar Changes Associated with Orthopedic and Surgically Assisted Maxillary Expansion: A Multicenter Retrospective Observational Study
By Giannini L, Farronato M, Dipalma G and 2 others.
Abstract
Background
This retrospective multicenter study describes skeletal and dentoalveolar changes following orthopedic rapid palatal expansion (RPE) in growing patients and surgically assisted expansion in skeletally mature adults.
Objective
To characterize within-cohort transverse, sagittal, and vertical changes without directly comparing treatment effectiveness between clinically distinct populations.
Methods
Records from two Italian centers (January 2024-December 2025) included 54 growing patients treated with orthopedic RPE and 27 nongrowing adults treated with surgically assisted expansion. Lateral and posteroanterior cephalograms and dental casts were assessed at baseline (T0), after appliance removal (T1), and, when available, 1 year later (T2). Changes were summarized within each cohort using mean differences and 95% confidence intervals. T2 cephalometric data were available for 20 orthopedic and 18 surgically assisted patients; dental-cast follow-up was available for 18 per cohort.