Surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion: an outpatient technique with long-term stability.

This study presents the results of surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion done on an outpatient basis in 19 patients with a mean age of 30 years. Postsurgical and postorthodontic evaluation (mean, 2.4 years) showed a mean relapse rate of 8.8% in the canine region, 1% in the premolar region, and 7.7% in the molar region. These results show that the surgical procedure is feasible on an outpatient basis and the technique, as outlined, yields a stable long-term result.