Assessment of the bone thickness of the palate on cone-beam computed tomography for placement of miniscrew-assisted rapid palatal expansion appliances

• Published in: American journal of orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics 2022-06, Vol.161 (6), p.849-857
• Main Authors: Negrisoli, Silvia, Angelieri, Fernanda, Gonçalves, João Roberto, da Silva, Hélio Doyle Pereira, Maltagliati, Liliana Ávila, Raphaelli Nahás-Scocate, Ana Carla
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 0889-5406; 1097-6752
• DOI: 10.1016/j.ajodo.2021.01.037

The correction of maxillary transverse discrepancy is achieved by means of rapid maxillary expansion, which may be performed by conventional or surgically-assisted rapid maxillary expansion, and more recently, by miniscrew-assisted rapid palatal expansion (MARPE). This study assessed the bone thickness of the palate on cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images for placement of mini-implants and anchorage of MARPE. The sample consisted of 223 CBCT scans from patients of both genders (137 females and 86 males) aged ≥18 years. By using the Image Studio software (Anne Solutions, São Paulo, Brazil), measurements of the bone thickness of the palate were performed bilaterally, as follows: in the axial plane, the bone thicknesses were determined in the anterior region (distal face of the first premolars) and the posterior region (distal face of the first molars), at 3 mm and 6 mm laterally to the midpalatal suture. So in the sagittal plane, the bone thicknesses of the palate were measured in these placements from the palatal cortical to the nasal floor cortical in the anterior region at 30°, 45°, and 90°. In the posterior region, the bone thickness was determined only at 90°. The statistical tests used were the Kruskal-Wallis H test (analysis of variance on ranks) with Dunn’s post-hoc test and Mann-Whitney U test (P