The morphological deviation often diagnosed in clinical dentistry is the maxillary atresia. This alteration is characterized by loss of the normal conformation of the upper dental arch, which becomes triangular. To increase the transverse dimension of the maxillary arch is employed the rapid maxillary expansion (RME) technique. The expansion is applied regardless of stage of occlusal development - that is limited to the sutures skeletal maturation - and is based on the application of lateral forces on the upper posterior teeth.
The force generated by extremities displacement, which are fixed to the teeth, is in lingual-buccal direction (from the palate to the cheek) for each side. After the midpalatal suture is opened is observed an undesired inclination of posterior teeth to the buccal area (the region between the lip / cheek and teeth) when using the conventional expander appliances.
Due to the widespread use of RME in the dental clinic and unwanted tooth movement and alveolar bone loss, it is necessary to verify the effects that traditional techniques cause in the maxillary sutures and teeth. And, also, to correlate these effects with mechanical (strains, stresses and forces) and biological (vascularization and cellular processes activation) factors. This project proposes to evaluate the mechanical environment in the maxilla when are used conventional expanders and other appliances that are supported directly by the bone. And also, the sutures and alveolar support bone remodeling during the RME.
TEAM: Larissa Carvalho Trojan, Libardo Andrés González Torres, Estevam Barbosa de Las Casas, Ricardo Luiz Utsch de Freitas Pinto, Ana Cláudia Moreira Melo Toyofuku.
