Factors Related to Microimplant-Assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion in Teenagers and Young Adults: A Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Study.

Introduction: For patients with maxillary transverse deficiency, selecting an appropriate therapeutic method is important for the treatment effect and prognosis. Our study aimed to explore factors related to microimplant-assisted rapid palatal expansion (MARPE) in teenagers and young adults using cone-beam computed tomography. Methods: Twenty-five patients who underwent MARPE were included in this retro-spective study from February 2014 to June 2019. Midpalatal suture density (MPSD) ratio, midpalatal suture maturation (MPSM), bone effect, dentoalveolar effect, and dental effect in maxillary first molar were evalu-ated using cone-beam computed tomography. Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between the MPSD ratio, MPSM, age, and the expansion amount generated by MARPE. Results: Twenty-five patients (mean age, 19.84 6 3.96 years; range, 15-29 years) with maxillary transverse deficiency were analyzed. Age was negatively correlated with bone expansion, alveolar expansion, and alveolar change (all P <0.05). There was a negative correlation between MPSM and nasal cavity variation, bone expansion, and alveolar change (all P <0.05). The bone expansion was negatively correlated with MPSD ratio 3 (r 5-0.417; P <0.05) and MPSD ratio 4 (all P <0.05). Conclusions: Age, MPSM, and MPSD ratio were significantly related to the MARPE effect. Age, MPSM, and MPSD ratio should be consid-ered when choosing MARPE.