Efficacy of MARPE in adolescent maxillary expansion: Suture correlation and clinical outcomes

Abstract

Objective

The aim of this paper was to explore the correlation between anchorage screw-assisted expansion and the maxillary suture in the treatment of adolescents with rapid maxillary expansion (RME) using miniscrew anchorage.

Materials and methods

A total of 60 adolescent patients with narrow maxillary arches, treated in the orthodontic department of our hospital from March 2021 to September 2022 and who underwent implant-assisted rapid maxillary expansion technology, were recruited for this study. The patients were divided into two groups: the control group (n = 30), who received traditional expansion technology, and the observation group (n = 30), who received Micro-Screw Anchorage Rapid Maxillary Expansion (MARPE) technology. The general data of the patients were collected, and cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) was used to measure the buccal maxillary width, palatal maxillary width, midpalatal suture expansion, maxillary skeletal expander expansion, and molar angle before and after treatment.

Results

Before treatment, there were no significant differences in maxillary width (buccal and palatal) or tooth angle between the two groups (P > 0.05). After treatment, the observation group showed a significantly greater increase in maxillary width (both buccal and palatal) and a more significant reduction in tooth angle compared to the control group (P < 0.05). The observation group also had a greater amount of bone expansion (P < 0.05), though alveolar bone bending was similar between groups (P > 0.05). The observation group had a higher effective rate and lower ineffective rate (P < 0.05), with no significant difference in adverse reactions (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

Compared with the traditional expansion technique, the MARPE technique using anchorage nails as a fixed fulcrum can more effectively achieve maxillary expansion. By precisely controlling the application of expansion forces, MARPE promotes uniform expansion of the maxillary suture, improving the stability and predictability of the treatment.