Lack of significant volumetric alteration after rapid maxillary expansion supports the use of frontal sinuses for human identification purposes

Aim

The present study aimed to assess the volume of the frontal sinuses before and after rapid maxillary expansion (RME).

Material and methods

The sample consisted of 12 subjects (8 females and 4 males) with maxillary deficiency aged between 10 and 15 years old. In order to treat the skeletal deficiency, RME was performed using Hyrax system. Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) scans were obtained from each subject before (T1) and 120 days after (T2) the RME. A table digitizer G-Pen F350 (Genius, Taipei, Taiwan) was used to select the area of the frontal sinuses in CBCT slices. The volume of the sinuses was quantified in T1 and T2. T-test for paired samples was used to compare the differences between the volume of the frontal sinuses before and after RME

Results

The mean volume of the frontal sinuses before and after the RME was 3.03 mm³ (ranging from 2.20 mm³ to 4.40 mm³) and 3.21 mm³ (ranging from 2.55 mm³ to 4.52 mm³), respectively. Differences in volume between T1 and T2 were not statistically significant (p > .05). The present study indicates that the frontal sinuses do not modify considerably in volume after RME.

Conclusion

From the forensic scope, this outcome supports the usefulness of the frontal sinuses for ante-mortem and post-mortem comparisons in human identification cases.