[Efficiency of orthodontic treatment in combination with surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion].

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of combined orthodontic and surgical treatment of patients with maxillary transverse deficiency. Forty cone-beam computed tomograms (CBCT) were examined in 20 patients (mean age 23.5 years) who underwent surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion using a tooth-borne appliance (n=10) and a bone-borne appliance (n=10). Evaluation of the effectiveness of skeletal expansion was carried out with the help of cephalometric analysis of the width of the upper jaw in the coronary projection on the CBCT by 22 parameters. Analysis of the degree of skeletal expansion of the upper jaw before treatment and after removal of the expander allowed to assess the degree of expansion of the upper jaw at different bone levels. Surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion allows to achieve stable skeletal expansion of the upper jaw in the transverse direction with minimal risk of long-term relapse.