Surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion compared with orthopedic rapid maxillary expansion.

The objective of this study is to evaluate and compare the dental and skeletal changes occurring during orthopedic rapid maxillary expansion (RME) and surgically assisted RME during the active phase of treatment. The study was divided into two groups. The first group of 10 patients (six males, four females; mean age, 15.51 years) received orthopedic RME. The second group of 10 patients (seven males, three females; average age: 19.01 years) received surgically assisted RME (SARME). All patients underwent maxillary expansion with occlusal-coverage Hyrax-type expanders activated two turns a day (0.25 mm per turn). Preexpansion and postexpansion lateral and posteroanterior cephalograms were obtained for each patient. Statistically significant differences between the SARME and RME groups were found in the N-ANS, SN/ PP (P < .01) and SNA, SNB, mandibular dentoalveolar, and maxillary bony base (P < .05) measurements. Clinically, there is no difference in patient response between the RME and SARME groups. The only difference between the groups was their indication for RME or SARME, which is based on the age and skeletal maturation of the patient.