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Aim: This study uses cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) to determine whether pathology in the maxillary sinus (MS) affects the volume of the palatal cavity., Methods: 188 individuals, 95 women and 93 men, aged between 17 and 63, were included in the study. MS pathology in the patients and the open-closed status of the maxillary sinus ostium (MSO) were recorded. Palatal volume measurements were performed using open-access ITK-SNAP via CBCT images. Statistical analysis of the study was conducted using SPSS v.21 software (IBM. Chicago. IL. USA), and p<0.05 was considered statistically significant., Results: The average palatal volume was 1375.29±313.38 mm 3 in male patients and 1235.33±250.40 mm 3 in females, and it was found to be statistically significant between genders (p=0.001). MS pathology was detected in 114 (60.6%) of the patients. It was determined that the most frequently observed pathology in both the right (n = 58, 30.9%) and left (n = 65, 34.6%) side MS of individuals was mucosal hypertrophy. It was determined that the mean palatal volume was higher when the MSO was closed (p = 0.000). As a result of the correlation analysis, it was shown that the presence of MS pathology had a positive effect in explaining palate volume by 38.6% (R 2 = 0.386)., Conclusion: Palatal cavity volume was affected by maxillary sinus pathologies. Palatal cavity volume increases in the presence of MS pathologies and when MSOs are closed., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

The nasopalatine canal (NPC), an interosseous conduit in the anterior maxilla, plays a crucial role in various dental procedures, such as implant placement, orthodontics, and surgical interventions. Accurate anatomical characterization of the NPC is essential to avoid complications, as its morphometric variations can impact the nasopalatine nerve and vascular structures within the canal. Traditional radiography techniques are limited in displaying the canal's detailed anatomy due to issues like magnification and distortion. Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), with its superior imaging quality and reduced radiation exposure, has become the preferred method for NPC evaluation. This systematic review aimed to evaluate the published literature on the variations in anatomy and dimensions of the NPC using CBCT. A complete literature search was conducted in Web of Science, PubMed/Medline, EMBASE, Scopus, Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and ProQuest electronic databases. The following keywords were used alone or combined: CBCT, measurements [(nasopalatine canal length), (incisive foramen), (foramina of Stenson), (buccal bone plate), gender, plane as (oblique measurements), or (sagittal or axial). Papers were manually searched utilizing their reference titles. Research selection was restricted to the time of publication but not to the type of tested publication from different countries or sex and NPC parameter measurements. Fourteen full-length papers were included. Parameters like NPC length and diameters of incisive foramen (IF) and foramina of Stenson (FS) were generally higher in males than females, with significant differences noted across most studies. NPC dimensions are influenced by sex, with males typically exhibiting larger measurements. Additionally, NPC dimensions vary among different populations.

Objectives: This study aims to compare and analyze the biomechanical effect and the displacement trend of RME and MSE on the maxillofacial complex under different palatal shapes by using finite element analysis., Methods: The three-dimensional model of maxillofacial complex was obtained from a computed tomography image of a person with a normal palate. Then, we modified the shape of the palate to obtain the model with a high palate. Additionally, two expander devices were considered. MSE and RME were created and four models were made: Model 1: Normal-palate craniomaxillofacial complex with RME expander; Model 2: Normal-palate craniomaxillofacial complex with MSE expander; Model 3: High-palate craniomaxillofacial complex with RME expander; Model 4: High-palate craniomaxillofacial complex with MSE expander. Then, lateral forced displacement was applied and the analysis results were obtained., Results: The lateral displacement of the palatal suture of Model 3 is greater than that of Model 1, and the maxilla has more rotation. The crown/root ratio of Model 1 is significantly greater than that of the other three groups. Compared with Model 1, Model 3 has greater stress concentration in the superstructure of the craniomaxillofacial complex. Both of them have greater stress in the anchorage area than Model 2 and Model 4., Conclusion: Different shapes of the palate interfere with the effects of RME and MSE, and its influence on the stress distribution and displacement of the craniomaxillary complex when using RME is greater than MSE. The lateral displacement of the palatal suture of MSE is significantly larger than that of RME. It is more prone to tipping movement of the anchor teeth using RME under normal palate, and MSE may manage the vertical control better due to the smaller crown/root ratio than RME and intrusive movement of molars., (© 2024 The Author(s). Clinical and Experimental Dental Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objectives: We conducted a three-dimensional (3D) analysis of orthodontic tooth movement (TM) using digital dental models (DMs), focusing on the palatal region of interest (PROI), aiming to evaluate the long-term stability of the PROI, validate the 3D TM analysis with PROI registration, and compare it with conventional lateral cephalometric analyses., Methods: Twenty adult patients treated with a multibracket appliance were evaluated at their first visit (T0) and at least 5 years later (T1) using DMs and lateral cephalograms (LCs). The long-term stability of PROI was assessed by calculating the point cloud distances between DM-T0 and DM-T1. TM analysis using DM with PROI registration for the maxillary central incisors was assessed through linear and angular measurements in the sagittal view and subsequently compared with the LCs., Results: The average point cloud distance of the PROI between DM-T0 and DM-T1 was 0.21 mm (standard deviation, 0.13 mm). TM analysis using DMs demonstrated excellent reproducibility for both linear and angular measurements (intra-rater correlation coefficient, > 0.99). The 95 % limits of agreement between the DM and LC measurements were < 5.14° for angular change, 3.53 mm for horizontal displacement, and 0.98 mm for vertical displacement. No significant differences were observed in the angular and linear measurements when the TM was compared using the DMs and LCs., Conclusions: The PROI remained stable for over 5 years, supporting the reproducibility and accuracy of TM assessment using PROI registration in orthodontic clinical practice., Clinical Significance: DM analysis lacks the risks associated with X-ray exposure and can be easily performed in daily clinical practice, indicating its potential for future clinical applications. These findings further support the use of DM with PROI registration for TM analysis in orthodontic clinical practice, emphasizing its long-term stability and reproducibility., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest I, Kenji Fushima, hereby declare that I have no conflicts of interest related to the submitted article titled ' Long-term Stability of the Palatal Region of Interest to Assess Tooth Movement'. I have no financial or personal relationships with individuals or organizations that could influence or be perceived to influence the research or findings presented in this article. This includes, but is not limited to, employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership, or any other competing interests. I affirm that the content of this article is solely based on the objective pursuit of knowledge and scientific inquiry., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Purpose: To comprehensively analyze the palatal thickness of soft tissues and determine optimal regions for the placement of palatal orthodontic miniscrews., Methods: Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images on the coronal plane were obtained from 60 patients (30 female, 30 male; age range 19-45; mean age 32 ± 11), with 3-mm intervals in the regions of the canine (Ca), first premolar (Pr1), second premolar (Pr2), midpoint between the first and second molars (M1-M2), first molar (M1), second molar (M2) and midpalate., Results: The mucosal thickness measurements between the teeth showed significantly greater thickness in the Ca region at the 3 mm point, in the Pr1 region at the 6 mm point, and in the Pr2 region at the 9 and 12 mm points. At the 9 mm point, the Pr1 region demonstrated greater thickness than the M1-M2 whereas the Pr2 region was thicker than the M1 and M1-M2 regions. At the 12 and 15 mm points, the thickness increased from anterior to posterior: the Pr1 region was thinner than the Pr2, M1, and M2 regions and the Pr2 region was thinner than the M2 region. A schematization was devised for the optimal areas recommended for miniscrews in the palatal region., Conclusion: The mucosal thickness in the palatal region increases from anterior to posterior except the midpalatal region. Based on the results, in terms of soft tissue, the most suitable place for miniscrew placement is 6 mm from the gingival margin of the teeth and in the median portion of the palate. The findings may guide clinicians in choosing the optimal sites for palatal mini-implants., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: The incisive foramen width was a traditional imaging criterion for diagnosing nasopalatine duct (NPD) cysts. Recent CBCT studies demonstrated significant dimensional variations of the nasopalatine canal, which raised questions about the accuracy of this criterion. This study investigated whether nasopalatine canal diameters assessed on CBCT images can accurately differentiate NPD cysts from normal nasopalatine canals., Methods: The study included 19 patients with NPD cysts (12 (63.2%) males, 7 (36.8%) females, mean age 44.7 ± 13.3), and a control group of 164 patients (72 (43.9%) males, 92 (56.1%) females, mean age 47.25 ± 17.74). CBCT images were retrospectively evaluated. The following nasopalatine canal diameters were measured on reference sagittal, coronal, and axial reformation images: nasal opening anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) diameter, oral opening AP (APOO) and ML (MLOO) diameter, nasopalatine canal length, minimum ML (minML) diameter, anterior wall expansion (AWE), nasopalatine canal angle, and the mid-level AP diameter (midAP). All parameters were compared between groups. Discriminant functional analysis (DFA) was applied to detect CBCT parameters that best differentiate the NPD cyst from the normal canal., Results: Patients with NPD cyst had significantly greater values of APOO (7.06 ± 2.09 vs. 5.61 ± 1.70), MLOO (6.89 ± 2.95 vs. 3.48 ± 1.24), minML (2.88 ± 1.53 vs. 2.25 ± 1.09), AWE (2.15 ± 0.65 vs. 0.41 ± 0.67), and midAP (4.58 ± 1.61 vs. 2.48 ± 0.96). DFA showed MLOO, AWE, and midAP as the most accurate in distinguishing NPD cyst from the normal canal. When combined in the discriminant function equation X = 0.390·MLOO + 1.010·AWE + 0.288·midAP (cut score 1.669), the differentiation can be performed with a sensitivity and specificity of 98.8% and 76.9%, respectively., Conclusion: NPD cysts can be accurately distinguished from the normal nasopalatine canal by measuring MLOO, AWE, and midAP diameter on CBCT images., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: This study highlights the need for precise and efficient methods to measure palatal mucosal thickness in the maxillary anterior teeth, particularly for soft tissue augmentation in the aesthetic zone. The research evaluates three digital imaging techniques, suggesting that Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) combined with intraoral scanners (IOS) is a promising approach for reliable clinical assessment., Methods: Ten volunteers with healthy periodontium were selected, and three methods were employed: CBCT-based indirect gingival imaging, modified soft tissue CBCT (ST-CBCT), and CBCT combined with IOS. Measurements of palatal mucosal thickness were taken at multiple points along the palatal gingival margin. Statistical analysis included Bland-Altman plots for method agreement and intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) analysis for reliability. All measurements were standardized, repeated for consistency, and accurate to 0.01 mm to ensure reliability., Results: The Bland-Altman plots showed that less than 5% of the points for palatal mucosal thickness differences measured by the gingival indirect radiographic method, modified ST-CBCT, and CBCT combined with IOS were located outside the 95% limits of agreement (LoA). The mean value of the differences was within 0.2 mm, indicating good clinical agreement among the three methods. The inter- and intra-study ICC values for palatal mucosal thickness measurements of the maxillary anterior teeth using the three CBCT methods were greater than 0.75 (P < 0.001), demonstrating reproducibility., Conclusions: Based on the evaluation of three digital imaging techniques, this study indicates that the combination of CBCT with IOS is a feasible method for measuring palatal mucosal thickness in the maxillary anterior teeth and demonstrates good reproducibility., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to evaluate the accuracy of morphometry of skull base and palate in gender discrimination using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scanning and to assess the accuracy of the results among a sample of the Arab population., Materials & Methods: Using CBCT scans, a cross-sectional analysis was conducted on 142 consented patients who underwent various dental procedures at the University Dental Hospital, Sharjah (UDHS). Of these patients, 70 were females and 72 were males, with respective means of 38.5 and 36.2 years. Eleven parameters related to skull base and palatal region were measured on the CBCT scans by two expert radiologists followed by statistical analysis., Results: There was significant gender-based difference in the mean palatal width (PW) ( p  = 0.001), mean palatal height (PH) ( p  = 0.005). Among other skull base region parameters that were significant in term of gender-based difference like; the clivus length (CL) ( p  < 0.001), occipital condyle height (OCH) ( p  < 0.001), basal angle (BA) ( p  = 0.006) and transverse diameter of foramen magnum ( p  = 0.003). Only palate variables showed a significant age difference. Discriminant analysis related to gender showed that occipital condyle height was the most accurate and best discriminator among the skull base region parameters., Conclusion: The use of discriminant analysis in CBCT based on skull base and palatal region variables provides an efficient method for determining gender, which is particularly valuable in forensic science and anthropological research., Significance of Study: Accurate gender identification is crucial in forensic investigations, and the skull base region, being a stable and sexually dimorphic anatomical feature, can serve as a reliable marker for this purpose., Competing Interests: The authors declare there are no competing interests., (©2024 Uthman et al.)

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of Invisalign First Phase I treatment compared with tooth-borne rapid maxillary expansion (RME) in mixed dentition patients by examining changes in palatal volume, palatal surface area, and maxillary interdental transverse measurements., Methods: In this open-label, 2-arm, parallel, randomized controlled trial, patients with a posterior transverse discrepancy ≤6 mm were allocated into the clear aligner therapy (CAT) group (Invisalign First Phase I treatment) and RME group (tooth-borne RME) according to a computer-generated randomization list immediately before the start of treatment. Digital models were obtained before the beginning of the treatment (T0) and at the end of the retention period/treatment (T1) using an intraoral scanner. Palatal volume was measured as the primary outcome, and palatal surface area and intermolar and intercanine transverse widths at the cusps and gingival level were measured as secondary outcomes. Patients and interventionists were not blinded because of the nature of the intervention., Results: Out of 50 patients, 41 (19 males and 22 females; mean age, 8.12 ± 1.53 years) were enrolled and divided into 2 groups: 20 in the CAT group and 21 in the RME group. Two participants did not receive the allocated intervention for different reasons (1 patient discontinued the intervention in the CAT group, and another patient was lost to follow-up in the RME group). Thus, 19 patients (5 males and 14 females; mean age, 8.48 ± 1.42 years) were analyzed from the CAT group, and 20 patients (12 males and 8 females; mean age, 7.83 ± 1.19 years) from the RME group. Regarding intragroup comparisons, all outcome measures significantly increased from T0 to T1 in both groups. In terms of intergroup comparisons, there were no significant differences in the variation (Δ) of outcome measures between the 2 groups from T0 to T1, except for the intermolar width at the gingival level (P <0.005). The change in palatal volume was 532.01 ±540.52 mm³ for the RME group and 243.95 ± 473.24 mm³ for the CAT group (P = 0.084), with a moderate effect size (d = 0.57)., Conclusions: RME showed trends favoring better outcomes compared with Invisalign First Phase I treatment across all assessed measures. The only parameter that showed statistically significant differences between the 2 groups was variation in intermolar width at the gingival level, suggesting the occurrence of buccal tipping in patients undergoing Invisalign First Phase I treatment., Trial Registration: The trial was registered at ClinicalTrial.gov (no. NCT04760535)., (Copyright © 2024 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: A comprehensive understanding of how vocal tract dimensions vary among different types of loud voice productions has not yet been fully formed. This study aims to expand the existing knowledge on the topic., Methods: Three trained professional singers together practiced the vocal techniques underlying Opera and Kulning singing styles for one hour and, afterwards, phonated using these techniques on vowel [iː] at pitch C5 (523 Hz), while their vocal tracts were scanned via MRI. One of the participants also produced the samples in the Edge vocal mode using [ɛː]. Several dimensional vocal tract measurements were calculated from the MRIs. Spectral analysis was conducted on the filtered audio recorded during the MRI., Results: The Operatic technique demonstrated a lower larynx, a larger tongue-palate distance, and larger epilaryngeal and pharyngeal tube diameters compared to Kulning. Edge showed the highest laryngeal position, narrowest pharynx and epilarynx tubes, and the least forward-tilted larynx out of the styles studied. The spectra of Opera and Kulning showed a dominant first harmonic, while in Edge, the second harmonic was the strongest., Conclusions: The results shed light on the magnitude of vocal tract changes necessary for genre-typical vocal projection. This information can be pedagogically helpful., (Copyright © 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in shape of the palatal vault after maxillary expansion with hyrax expander (HE) and leaf expander (LE), using 3D Geometric Morphometric Analysis., Setting and Sample Population: Overall, 250 patients (110 M, 140 F) with maxillary transverse deficiency were selected for this study. In this study, 127 subjects were treated with HE, 123 with LE., Materials and Methods: Digital dental models were obtained pre-treatment (T0) and after 12 months from the cementation of the device (T1) and processed by means of a digital scanner. Linear and morphometric analyses were conducted to determine the effects of each appliance on dental measurements and palatal shape, and a multiple linear regression was performed to analyse the influence of anchorage and appliance type on final shape., Results: Morphometric analysis showed that there was a lowering of the palatal vault in the HE group, while in the LE group it remained unchanged: the difference in palatal shape at time T0 and T1 was statistically significant in both treatments (HE vs. LE). In the HE group, the change in shape also included the upper part of the palatal vault in the vertical dimension, while in the LE group the change in shape interested mainly palatal shelves and the lower portion of the palate., Conclusions: Both LE and HE produce clinically significant changes in the morphology of the palatal vault., (© 2024 The Author(s). Orthodontics & Craniofacial Research published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Maxillary expansion is an important treatment method for maxillary transverse hypoplasia. Different methods of maxillary expansion should be carried out depending on the midpalatal suture maturation levels, and the diagnosis was validated by palatal plane cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images by orthodontists, while such a method suffered from low efficiency and strong subjectivity. This study develops and evaluates an enhanced vision transformer (ViT) to automatically classify CBCT images of midpalatal sutures with different maturation stages., Methods: In recent years, the use of convolutional neural network (CNN) to classify images of midpalatal suture with different maturation stages has brought positive significance to the decision of the clinical maxillary expansion method. However, CNN cannot adequately learn the long-distance dependencies between images and features, which are also required for global recognition of midpalatal suture CBCT images. The Self-Attention of ViT has the function of capturing the relationship between long-distance pixels of the image. However, it lacks the inductive bias of CNN and needs more data training. To solve this problem, a CNN-enhanced ViT model based on transfer learning is proposed to classify midpalatal suture CBCT images. In this study, 2518 CBCT images of the palate plane are collected, and the images are divided into 1259 images as the training set, 506 images as the verification set, and 753 images as the test set. After the training set image preprocessing, the CNN-enhanced ViT model is trained and adjusted, and the generalization ability of the model is tested on the test set., Results: The classification accuracy of our proposed ViT model is 95.75%, and its Macro-averaging Area under the receiver operating characteristic Curve (AUC) and Micro-averaging AUC are 97.89% and 98.36% respectively on our data test set. The classification accuracy of the best performing CNN model EfficientnetV2&#95;S was 93.76% on our data test set. The classification accuracy of the clinician is 89.10% on our data test set., Conclusions: The experimental results show that this method can effectively complete CBCT images classification of midpalatal suture maturation stages, and the performance is better than a clinician. Therefore, the model can provide a valuable reference for orthodontists and assist them in making correct a diagnosis., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Orofacial clefts are one of the most common congenital malformations of the fetal face and ultrasound is mainly responsible for its diagnosis. It is difficult to view the fetal palate, so there is currently no unified standard for fetal palate screening, and the diagnosis of cleft palate is not included in the relevant prenatal ultrasound screening guidelines. Many prenatal diagnoses for cleft palate are missed due to the lack of effective screening methods. Therefore, it is imperative to increase the display rate of the fetal palate, which would improve the detection rate and diagnostic accuracy for cleft palate. We aim to introduce a fetal palate screening software based on the "sequential sector scan though the oral fissure", an effective method for fetal palate screening which was verified by our follow up results and three-dimensional ultrasound and to evaluate its feasibility and clinical practicability., Methods: A software was designed and programmed based on "sequential sector scan through the oral fissure" and three-dimensional ultrasound. The three-dimensional ultrasound volume data of the fetal face were imported into the software. Then, the median sagittal plane was taken as the reference interface, the anterior upper margin of the mandibular alveolar bone was selected as the fulcrum, the interval angles, and the number of layers of the sector scan were set, after which the automatic scan was performed. Thus, the sector scan sequential planes of the mandibular alveolar bone, pharynx, soft palate, hard palate, and maxillary alveolar bone were obtained in sequence to display and evaluate the palate. In addition, the feasibility and accuracy of the software in fetal palate displaying and screening was evaluated by actual clinical cases., Results: Full views of the normal fetal palates and the defective parts of the cleft palates were displayed, and relatively clear sequential tomographic images and continuous dynamic videos were formed after the three-dimensional volume data of 10 normal fetal palates and 10 cleft palates were imported into the software., Conclusions: The software can display fetal palates more directly which might allow for a new method of fetal palate screening and cleft palate diagnosis., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Background: Since many different conclusions of craniofacial anomalies and their relation to the posterior airway space coexist, this comparative clinical study investigated the palatal morphology concerning volumetric size, posterior airway space dimension and the adenoids of patients with and without a cleft before orthodontic treatment., Methods: Three-dimensional intraoral scans and cephalometric radiographs of n = 38 patients were used for data acquisition. The patients were divided into three groups: unilateral cleft lip and palate (n = 15, 4 female, 11 male; mean age 8.57 ± 1.79 years), bilateral cleft lip and palate (n = 8, 0 female, 8 male; mean age 8.46 ± 1.37 years) and non-cleft control (n = 15, 7 female, 8 male; mean age 9.03 ± 1.02 years). The evaluation included established procedures for measurements of the palatal morphology and posterior airway space. Statistics included Shapiro-Wilk-Test and simple ANOVA (Bonferroni) for the three-dimensional intraoral scans and cephalometric radiographs. The level of significance was set at p < 0.05., Results: The palatal volume and cephalometric analysis showed differences between the three groups. The palatal volume, the superior posterior face height and the depth of the bony nasopharynx of patients with cleft lip and palate were significantly smaller than for non-cleft control patients. The superior posterior face height of bilateral cleft lip and palate patients was significantly smaller than in unilateral cleft lip and palate patients (BCLP: 35.50 ± 2.08 mm; UCLP: 36.04 ± 2.95 mm; p < 0.001). The percentage of the adenoids in relation to the entire nasopharynx and the angle NL/SN were significantly bigger in patients with cleft lip and palate than in the non-cleft control. In particular, the palatal volume was 32.43% smaller in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate and 48.69% smaller in patients with bilateral cleft lip and palate compared to the non-cleft control., Conclusions: Skeletal anomalies relate to the dimension of the posterior airway space. There were differences among the subjects with cleft lip and palate and these without a cleft. This study showed that the morphology of the palate and especially transverse deficiency of the maxilla resulting in smaller palatal volume relates to the posterior airway space. Even the adenoids seem to be affected, especially for cleft lip and palate patients., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Objective: This randomized clinical trial aimed to assess the feasibility of computer-assisted open exposure of palatally impacted canines., Materials and Methods: Patients aged 11-30 years who required orthodontic eruption for the full palatal impaction of their canines were included in this study. Exclusion criteria were psychosocial and dental contraindications of orthodontic treatment, congenital craniofacial disorders, and trauma in the patient's history in the vicinity of the surgical site. Virtual planning software was used to register the intraoral scans and cone-beam computed tomography data and to design a surgical template. In the test group, exposure of the canines was guided by a surgical template, whereas in the control group, the surgeon relied on the surgical plan to localize the impacted canine. The success of the intervention, duration of surgery, and complications, including excessive hemorrhage, damage to the canine or neighboring anatomical landmarks, and postoperative inflammation of the surgical site were assessed. Postoperative pain was reported by the patients using the visual analog pain scale (VAS)., Results: Surgery was deemed successful in all patients in both groups. During healing, no complications were observed. The duration of surgery decreased significantly in the test group (4 min 45.1 s ± 1 min 8.4 s) compared to that in the control group (7 min 22.3 s ± 56.02 s). No statistically significant differences were observed between the VAS scores of the two study groups., Conclusions: The application of virtual planning and static navigation is a viable approach for the open exposure of palatally impacted canines., Clinical Trial Registration Number: NCT05909254., Clinical Significance: Computer-assisted surgery is a feasible method for open exposure of palatally impacted canines, which decreases the duration of surgery compared to the freehand method., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of systemically given krill oil (KO) on the development of new bone formation in the sutura palatina media following rapid maxillary expansion (RME)., Methods: 28 4-5 week-old male Wistar albino rats were randomly divided into 4 groups: Control (C), Only Expansion (OE) (no supplement but undergoing expansion and retention), KE (supplemented during both the expansion and retention phases), Krill Oil Nursery Group (KN) (supplemented during the 40-day nursery phase as well as during the expansion and retention phases). A 5-day RME was followed by a 12-day retention period. All rats were euthanized simultaneously. Micro-computerized tomography (Micro-CT), hemotoxylen-eosin (H&E) staining, and immunohistochemical analysis were conducted. Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn tests with Bonferonni corrrection were applied (p < 0.05)., Results: Expansion and KO supplementation did not cause a statistically significant change in bone mineral density (BMD), bone volume fraction (BV/TV), spesific bone surface (BS/BV) and trabecular thickness (Tb.Th). While the expansion prosedure increased the trabecular seperation (Tb.Sp), KO supplemantation mitigated this effect. The KE group exhibited a statistically significantly increase in trabecular number (Tb.N) compared to the OE group. Although receptor activator of nuclear factor-kappa-Β ligand (RANKL)/osteoprotegerin (OPG) ratios did not show significant differences between groups, the KE and OE groups demonstrated the lowest and highest value, respectively. KE showed a reduced amount of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) compared to the OE., Conclusion: KO positively affected the architecture of the new bone formed in the mid-palatal suture. In this rat model of RME, results support the idea that administering of KO during the expansion period or beginning before the RME procedure may reduce relapse and enhance bone formation within the mid-palatal suture., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Age estimation is important in forensic investigations of unidentified human remains. This study assessed the correlation between age and Hounsfield unit (HU) values of the palate and mandibular condyle based on postmortem computed tomography (CT) and analyzed the influence of occlusal support in developing an age estimation method for Japanese individuals, including older adults. The sample consisted of a training dataset (357 cadavers) and a validation dataset (300 cadavers) that underwent postmortem CT. Three measurements were selected: the respective HU values of the palate and mandibular condyle and the Eichner classification. The correlation coefficients between age and HU values were also evaluated. Multiple stepwise regression analysis was performed to evaluate the significance of four parameters (sex, respective HU values of the palate and mandibular condyle, and the Eichner classification) for age estimation and to determine the best age estimation formula. In the validation tests, inaccuracy and bias were calculated for the groups aged ≥65 or <65 years. Significant correlations between age and HU values of the palate and mandibular condyle were observed, regardless of sex. In multiple stepwise regression analysis, all variables except sex were significantly correlated with age. The age estimation formula from the regression analysis was useful, and the validation test exhibited high accuracy, especially in older adults. The HU values of the palate and mandibular condyle and the Eichner classification are useful for age estimation in Japanese individuals., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Aim: To evaluate the suitability of a Doppler ultrasound probe in detecting the greater palatine artery or its greater branches non-invasively., Materials and Methods: The palatal mucosa of 108 participants (median age 34 years, 51 female) was systematically divided into transversal sectors, each aligning with the positions of the upper molars (M), premolars (P) and canine teeth (C), aiming to facilitate precise and consistent localization of the detected palatal blood vessel across different patients. Blood flow of the palatal blood vessels, presumably, was located by scanning the palatal vault bilaterally using an 8-MHz ultrasound probe linked to a transducer. The distance to the corresponding tooth was measured using a millimetre-scale periodontal probe., Results: Within the regions of M2 to P1, the ultrasound transducer gave a delimitable acoustic pulse signal in 80%-98% of all measurements. The measured median distances between the determined position of the artery and the corresponding teeth ranged from 13 to 15 mm, with smaller distances in the anterior region. In several sectors, the distance was significantly higher for men (C: p = .048; P1: p = .041, M1: p < .01; M2: p = .034)., Conclusions: Use of the Doppler ultrasound transducer might be a promising approach to non-invasively detect relevant palatine blood vessels preoperatively. It, therefore, might have the potential to reduce the risk of accidental injury during palatal surgery., (© 2024 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of palatal vault morphology and screw length on the accuracy of miniscrew insertion in dynamic computer-assisted surgery (d-CAS)., Methods: Twenty-four subjects were allocated into three groups, according to their palatal vault morphology (Group A: medium; Group B: steep/high; Group C: low/flat) and the length of miniscrew used. For each subject, two miniscrews were inserted using a dynamic navigation system. To assess the accuracy of insertion, a postoperative CBCT was performed, and the pre- and post-operative scans were superimposed. Five variables were evaluated: Entry-3D, Entry-2D, Apex-3D, Apex-vertical and angular deviation. Descriptive statistics, Shapiro-wilk, Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn's tests were used for the statistical analysis. The level of significance was P ≤ 0.05., Results: The mean angular deviation values revealed strong discrepancies amongst the groups (Group A:7.11°±5.70°; Group B:13.30°±7.76°; Group C:4.92°±3.15°) and significant differences were found regarding the Apex-3D (P = 0.036) and angular deviations (P = 0.008). A Dunn's test revealed differences in angular deviation between the medium and high/steep palate group (P = 0.004), and between low/flat and high/steep palate group (P = 0.01) but did not confirm any significant difference in the Apex-3D parameter (Group A-B P = 0.10; Group B-C, P = 0.053; Group A-C, P = 1.00). No significant differences were found regarding the length of the miniscrews., Conclusions: Palatal vault morphology is a factor that influences the accuracy of miniscrew insertion in d-CAS. In subjects with steep and high palatal vaults, insertion accuracy is lower when considering the angular deviation value. Miniscrew length does not influence accuracy., Clinical Significance: Although computer-guided surgery assists the clinician in preventing damage to nearby anatomical structures, individual anatomical variability is a crucial variable. In subjects with a high/steep palate, greater attention should be paid during the planning phase in order to allow for a wide margin from adjacent anatomical structures to achieve better outcomes., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

BACKGROUND This study aimed to evaluate the morphological characteristics of the anterior maxillary nasopalatine canal and the width of the buccal bone using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in 150 adults in Northern Cyprus. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study included 150 participants, and their anterior maxillary morphometric measurements (eg, length of the nasopalatine canal and anteroposterior diameter of the nasal foramen) were taken using CBCT with the scanning parameters of 90 kvP, 24 s, 4 mA, voxel size 0.3 mm, and field of view 10×6 cm. The shapes of the nasopalatine canal (NPC) were categorized into 4 types: cylindrical, hourglass, funnel-shaped, and banana (54%, 20.6%, 18.6%, and 4%, respectively). RESULTS The findings showed a clear link between the shape of the NPC and the horizontal dimensions of the anterior maxilla's morphometric properties. In general, decreased horizontal bone dimensions were found in the premaxilla at the banana- and funnel-shaped type for the nasopalatine canal. Also, the anteroposterior diameter of a nasal foramen in the hourglass shape was significantly larger in diameter than all other shapes. Additionally, the morphology of the nasopalatine canal is influenced by its shape. The sagittal cross-section has shown significant correlations with the sizes of the incisive foramen, nasal foramen, and the length of the nasopalatine canal. CONCLUSIONS The study found a correlation between the shape of the NPC and the horizontal dimensions of the anterior maxilla's anatomy. The measurements of NPC in a North Cyprus population slightly differ from the established standards found in the existing literature. Conducting more extensive studies with a larger number of CBCT images will offer additional insights.

Objective: The aim of this report was to review oral follicular lymphoid hyperplasia, with emphasis on palatal lesions., Method and Materials: A comprehensive search was performed on PubMed for case reports and case series of palatal follicular lymphoid hyperplasia published in the English language literature. Relevant data from collated articles was sought, including patient demographics, clinical manifestations, imaging modalities and findings, comorbidities, etiopathogenesis, lesional management, and lesional outcome. A new palatal case has also been provided to illustrate several features of this lesion., Results: In total, 32 cases were assembled to establish clinicopathologic correlations, representing the largest aggregation of published cases. Most of the affected patients were at least 60 years old and with a decisive female predilection. The majority of lesions were ≤ 3 cm, appearing as normal color, purple-red or red, and varied from soft to firm. Notably, 32% of palatal follicular lymphoid hyperplasias were associated with denture wear, and lesional recurrence was recorded in 16% of cases. To date, none of the reported cases of palatal follicular lymphoid hyperplasia has undergone malignant transformation., Conclusions: Palatal follicular lymphoid hyperplasias often arise as a reactive process. Critical histopathologic and histochemical assessments are necessary to establish benignity. Postoperatively, clinicians should follow patients for at least 5 years for recurrence and remain vigilant for neoplastic change as several published accounts of non-oral follicular lymphoid hyperplasias have undergone malignant transformation, usually to lymphoma.

BACKGROUND The nasopalatine canal (NPC), or incisive canal, is located in the midline of the palate, posterior to the maxillary central incisors. Its anatomy is important in prosthetic dentistry procedures. This study aimed to assess the anatomical morphology of the NPC according to age, sex, and dental status using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in 335 patients. MATERIAL AND METHODS In this retrospective cross-sectional study, a total of 335 patients were recruited and categorized according to sex, age, and dental status. Individual CBCT images were analyzed in the sagittal, coronal, and axial planes. Also, we recorded the dimensions and morphological shape of the NPC and adjacent buccal bone plate (BBP) under standardized conditions. The associations between sex, age group, NPC shapes and types, and presence of central incisors were assessed. A significance level was set at P<0.05. RESULTS Mean labio-palatal and mediolateral measurements of the incisive foramen were 5.13±1.45 mm and 3.21±0.96 mm, whereas the mean diameter of Stenson foramen was 2.57±1.25 mm, and the total length of the NPC was 11.79±2.50 mm. Funnel, Y, and round-shaped canals were the most prevalent shapes of the NPC in sagittal, coronal, and axial planes. BBP was greater in men, with P=0.011, P=0.000, and P=0.001 at BBP1, BBP2, and BBP3, respectively. CONCLUSIONS NPC and BBP parameter values were slightly higher among male patients. NPC parameters increased with older age. The crest width of BBP decreased with older age and after missing maxillary central incisor teeth.

Introduction: Panoramic radiography quality can be impaired by some errors such as positioning errors. Palatoglossal air space shadow error is one of the most common positioning errors and it is due to the tongue not sticking to the roof of the palate. Techniques used to deal with this error might help prevent unnecessary radiation to patients and save them time and money. The study aimed to investigate the effects of using celluloid matrix and edible tapes (fruit leather and chewing gum) on reducing the palatoglossal air space shadow error in panoramic imaging., Methods: In our study, 270 patients referred to the Department of Radiology were randomised into three groups: a control group, a celluloid matrix group and an edible tapes group. Before panoramic imaging, all patients were instructed to adhere their tongues to the roof of their mouths, with the distinction that for the celluloid matrix and edible tapes groups, patients were asked to place celluloid tapes, fruit leathers, or chewing gums on their tongues before doing so. The routine imaging process was then performed, and the results were compared across groups to evaluate the incidence of palatoglossal air space shadow error., Results: The number of error-free images in each fruit leather, chewing gum and celluloid tape group were significantly higher than the control group (all cases P < 0.05). The chances of error-free images in the fruit leather groups were the highest (9.57 times). The age (P = 0.136) and gender (P = 0.272) of patients had no significant effect on the results of interventions., Conclusion: The application of fruit leathers, chewing gums and celluloid tapes reduced the palatoglossal air space shadow error of panoramic imaging., (© 2024 The Authors. Journal of Medical Radiation Sciences published by John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd on behalf of Australian Society of Medical Imaging and Radiation Therapy and New Zealand Institute of Medical Radiation Technology.)

Objective: Rapid maxillary expansion is a common orthodontic procedure to correct maxillary constriction. Assessing the midpalatal suture (MPS) expansion plays a crucial role in treatment planning to determine its effectiveness. The objectives of this preliminary investigation are to demonstrate a proof of concept that the palatal bone underlying the rugae can be clearly imaged by ultrasound (US) and the reconstructed axial view of the US image accurately maps the MPS patency., Methods: An ex-vivo US scanning was conducted on the upper jawbones of two piglet's carcasses before and after the creation of bone defects, which simulated the suture opening. The planar images were processed to enhance bone intensity distribution before being orderly stacked to fuse into a volume. Graph-cut segmentation was applied to delineate the palatal bone to generate a bone volume. The accuracy of the reconstructed bone volume and the suture opening was validated by the micro-computed tomography (µCT) data used as the ground truth and compared with cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) data as the clinical standard. Also included in the comparison is the rugae thickness. Correlation and Bland-Altman plots were used to test the agreement between the two methods: US versus µCT/CBCT., Results: The reconstruction of the US palatal bone volumes was accurate based on surface topography comparison with a mean error of 0.19 mm for pre-defect and 0.15 mm and 0.09 mm for post-defect models of the two samples, respectively when compared with µCT volumes. A strong correlation (R 2 ≥ 0.99) in measuring MPS expansion was found between US and µCT/CBCT with MADs of less than 0.05 mm, 0.11 mm and 0.23 mm for US, µCT and CBCT, respectively., Conclusions: It was possible to axially image the MPS opening and rugae thickness accurately using high-frequency ultrasound., Clinical Significance: This study introduces an ionizing radiation-free, low-cost, and portable technique to accurately image a difficult part of oral cavity anatomy. The advantages of conceivable visualization could promise a successful clinical examination of MPS to support the predictable treatment outcome of maxillary transverse deficiency., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/or publication of this article., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)

Background: To compare dentofacial effects of distalization with miniscrew-supported pendulum and infrazygomatic crest miniscrews., Methods: The study included 36 patients whose lateral cephalometric radiographs were obtained before (T0) and after (T1) distalization. Patients were divided into two groups according to the treatment methods: 1) distalization with miniscrew-supported pendulum (MSP) (n = 19; 14 girls and 5 boys; mean age 16.9 ± 1.46 years) and 2) distalization with infrazygomatic crest (IZC) miniscrews (n = 17; 8 girls and 9 boys; mean age 17.0 ± 1.68 years). Dental, skeletal and soft tissue measurements were performed on lateral cephalograms taken from individuals., Results: A significant molar distalization was achieved both in the MSP group (3.52 ± 0.76 mm at 8.71 ± 2.02 months) and the IZC group (3.5 ± 0.74 mm at 9.7 ± 2.5 months) (P < 0.001 for both). Premolar distalization was significantly lower in the MSP group (1.73 ± 1.09 mm) than in the IZC group (2.81 ± 0.79 mm) (P < 0.01). Significant molar tipping was observed in both groups (P < 0.001), while no significant difference was found between the groups (P > 0.05). Retrusion of maxillary incisors were significantly higher in the IZC group (2.75 mm) than in the MSP group (0.98 mm) (P < 0.01). A significant difference was found between the two groups with regard to the changes in overjet and overbite (P < 0.05)., Conclusions: Both distalization methods were found to be effective in achieving a Class I molar relationship in patients with Class II malocclusion., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors do not have any financial interest in the companies whose materials are included in this article., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Inc.)

Objectives: To assess the impact of including the palate and the number of images recorded during intraoral digital scanning procedure on the accuracy of complete arch scans., Methods: An experienced operator conducted 40 digital scans of a 3D printed maxillary model and divided them into two groups: 20 with inclusion of the palate (PAL) and 20 without (NPAL). Each set of scans was performed using an intraoral scanner (IOS) (Trios 5; 3Shape A/S; Copenhagen, Denmark). The resulting STL files were imported into the Geomagic Control X software (3D Systems, Rock Hill, SC, USA) for accuracy comparison. A reference STL file was created using a 3Shape E3 laboratory scanner (3Shape Scanlt Dental 2.2.1.0; Copenhagen, Denmark). The number of images captured was recorded during the scanning procedure., Results: In the case of the right side no statistically significant difference in trueness was detected (84 µm ± 45.6 for PAL and 80.4 ± 40.4 µm for NPAL). In the case of the left side no significant difference in trueness was observed (215.1 ± 70.2 µm for PAL and 233.9 ± 70.7 µm for NPAL). In the case of the arch distortion a statistically significant difference in trueness was seen between the two types of scans (135.3 ± 71.9 µm for PAL and 380.4 ± 255.1 µm for NPAL). The average number of images was 831.25, and 593.8 for PAL and NPAL, respectively., Conclusions: Scanning of the palatal area can significantly improve the accuracy of dental scans in cases of complete arches. In terms of the number of images, based on the current results, obvious conclusions could not be drawn, and further investigation is required., Clinical Significance: Scanning the palate may be beneficial for improving the accuracy of intraoral scans in dentate patients. Consequently, this should be linked to an appropriate scanning strategy that predicts palatal scanning., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: The morphology of the nasopalatine canal is crucial in the planning of prosthetic restorations in the anterior region of the maxilla, as well as in the placement of orthodontic mini-implants., Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the morphology of the nasopalatine canal using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans of patients from the University Dental Clinic in Krakow, Poland, to define the position of the canal in relation to common sites of palatal median microimplant placement, and to investigate potential correlations between the anatomy of the canal and age and gender of the patients., Material and Methods: A total of 120 CBCT images were used to assess the anatomy of the nasopalatine canal in 3 planes of space. The bone thickness anterior to the nasopalatine canal and the distance between the distal margin of Stenson's foramen and the predicted midpalatal microimplant position were also measured., Results: The most frequently observed canal type in the coronal plane was the Y-shaped canal, which was present in 60.8% of patients. The nasopalatine canal was classified as cone-shaped in 31.7% of the scans, cylindrical in 28.3%, hourglass-shaped in 27.5%, and banana-shaped in 12.5%. The mean length of the nasopalatine canal was 11.58 mm. The mean width of the canal was 2.89 mm at the nasal fossa level, 1.94 mm in the middle, and 5.09 mm at the palatal level. The mean bone thickness anterior to the nasopalatine canal was 9.07 mm at the level of the nasal opening, 6.84 mm at the level of the oral opening, and 7.32 mm in the middle. The mean distance between the distal margin of Stenson's foramen and the predicted midpalatal microimplant position varied from 0 to 11.94 mm, with a mean of 2.49 mm., Conclusions: Given the variety of nasopalatine canal forms and dimensions, detailed analysis of CBCT scans is essential prior to the placement of implants and microimplants.

Objectives: To assess the infrazygomatic crest (IZC) and palatal bone width, height, and angulation in patients with different vertical facial growth types as potential miniscrew insertion sites., Materials and Methods: In this retrospective cone-beam computed tomography study, 162 subjects (81 males and 81 females, mean age 16.05 ± 0.65 years) were included. They were divided into three groups (hypodivergent, normodivergent, and hyperdivergent) based on the Frankfort mandibular plane angle. Ten buccal bone measurements were made at two different coronal sections: maxillary first molar mesiobuccal and distobuccal roots (bilaterally). Six palatal bone measurements were made on a sagittal section at the maxillary central incisors (bilaterally). A total of 32 measurements per subject were considered in the study., Results: No significant difference was observed for the IZC (width and angle) at the maxillary first molar mesiobuccal root. A comparison of normodivergent and hyperdivergent groups for buccal width at the distobuccal root of the first molar showed significant differences. Palatal bone thickness at the level of 2 mm distal to the apex of the central incisor was significantly higher for the hyperdivergent group (10.43 mm) compared with the normodivergent (7.58 mm) and hypodivergent groups (7.83 mm)., Conclusions: Hyperdivergent subjects tend to present a longer and deeper IZC and increased palatal bone thickness compared with other groups. The recommended insertion angle for the IZC mini-implant at 3 mm from the alveolar crest should be between 75.5° and 77°., (© 2024 by The EH Angle Education and Research Foundation, Inc.)

Objective: Platelet-rich fibrin (PRF) contains a variety of growth factors and bioactive molecules that play crucial roles in wound healing and angiogenesis. We aimed to evaluate the effects of PRF on tissue thickness and vascularization of the palatal donor site by ultrasound (USG) following subepithelial connective tissue harvesting., Methodology: A subepithelial connective tissue graft was harvested from the palatal region with a single incision for root coverage in 20 systemically healthy patients. In the test group (n = 10), the PRF membrane was placed at the donor site, whereas no material was applied in the control group (n=10). Palatal tissue thickness (PTT) and pulsatility index (PI) were evaluated by USG at baseline and on the 3rd, 7th, 14th, 30th, and 90th days after surgery. The early healing index (EHI) was used to evaluate donor site healing for 30 days., Results: PTT was significantly higher in the PRF group on the 3rd and 14th days after surgery when compared to the controls. In the PRF-treated group, PI levels were significantly higher than in the controls, especially on the 14th day. PTT increased significantly 90 days after surgery compared to the test group baseline, but controls showed a significant decrease. The PRF group showed statistically significant improvements in EHI scores compared to controls on days 3, 7, and 14. This study found a negative correlation between PI values and EHI scores on postoperative days three and seven in the test group., Conclusion: USG is a non-invasive, objective method to radiographically evaluate the regenerative effects of PRF on palatal wound healing after soft tissue harvesting. To overcome graft inadequacy in reharvesting procedures, PRF application may enhance clinical success and reduce possible complications by increasing tissue thickness and revascularization in the donor area.

Diarthrognathus broomi is a transitional taxon between non-mammaliaform cynodonts and Mammaliaformes that occurred during the Late Triassic to Early Jurassic. All known specimens of Diarthrognathus represent juveniles, and the postcrania have not been thoroughly described. The palatal, basicranial and postcranial elements of the referred specimen NMQR 1535 are described here for the first time using 3D reconstructions generated from X-ray micro-computed tomography (μCT) data. The presence of a large interpterygoid vacuity, open medial suture between the vomers and medially unossified secondary palate all support the interpretation that NMQR 1535 is a juvenile. In addition, Diarthrognathus uniquely possesses "suborbital" vacuities, which distinguishes it from every other known cynodont. The presence of an ossified olecranon process, among other features, suggests that Diarthrognathus may have been a scratch-digger. The postcranial skeleton of Diarthrognathus appears to be more plesiomorphic than tritylodontids, Brasilodon and other tritheledontids as, among other traits, it retains amphicoelous vertebrae. However, this taxon also displays synapomorphies with the more derived cynodonts, such as the mammalian pattern of neurocentral ossification and possible absence of an ectepicondylar foramen., (© 2023 The Authors. The Anatomical Record published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American Association for Anatomy.)

Background: This study aimed to investigate the potential associations between alveolar bone thickness, bucco-palatal inclination of maxillary lateral incisors, and lateral incisor root resorption in patients with unilateral maxillary impacted canines (UMICs)., Methods: A total of three hundred and five subjects (120 males, 185 females; mean age, 16.39 years; standard deviation, 4.04) with UMICs were included. Canine position and root resorption were assessed using CBCT. UMICs were divided into palatal, buccal and mid-alveolus groups (PICs, BICs and MAICs), with 117, 137 and 51 subjects, respectively. Alveolar bone thickness and bucco-palatal inclination of lateral incisors were measured using the Dolphin software., Results: The prevalence of lateral incisor root resorption was significantly lower in the BICs (13.9%) than MAICs (29.4%) and PICs (29.1%). Alveolar bone thickness of the apical area was smaller in UMICs with lateral incisor root resorption than no resorption in both PICs (8.33 ± 1.64 vs 10.53 ± 2.55 mm) and BICs (8.94 ± 1.85 vs 10.76 ± 2.28 mm). Furthermore, lateral incisors on the impacted side were more buccally inclined in PICs with lateral incisor root resorption than no resorption, while in both BICs and MAICs, there was no statistical difference between lateral incisor root resorption than no resorption. Moreover, alveolar bone thickness of the apical area, rather than bucco-palatal inclination of lateral incisors, was significantly correlated with lateral incisor root resorption both in PICs and BICs., Conclusions: Lateral incisor root resorption is less common in BICs. Thinner alveolar bone thickness at the apical area of lateral incisors can be considered as a potential risk factor for lateral incisor root resorption in UMICs., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction: The objective of this study was to evaluate the dental periodontal and skeletal response to ≥5 mm of expansion width achieved by C-expander treatment with posterior miniscrews placed between the first and second molars in adults., Methods: A total of 28 patients aged 21.91 ± 3.20 years with maxillary transverse deficiency underwent C-expander treatment. Anterior miniscrews were positioned between the first and second premolars, whereas posterior miniscrews were positioned between the first and second molars. Cone-beam computed tomography records were obtained before expansion and 3 months after expansion. The dental periodontal and skeletal changes for all patients were recorded., Results: The C-expander treatment expanded the palatal suture with slight buccal alveolar bone inclination. An increase in the nasal cavity width and a greater increase in the maxillary base bone width were observed after maxillary expansion. The expansion at the posterior nasal spine (3.78 mm) was approximately 85.7% of that at the anterior nasal spine (4.41 mm). No significant buccal dehiscence occurred after expansion, whereas the mesiobuccal alveolar bone thickness of the first molars was decreased at the 8 mm level with respect to the cementoenamel junction. The first molar showed decreased inclination (right, -0.45°; left, -0.38°, P >0.05), whereas the expansion at the apical level was less than that at the crown level. Age and the skeletal/dental expansion ratio had no discernible relationship., Conclusions: Miniscrew-assisted C-expander treatment can be effective for adults with maxillary transverse deficiency. Rearward placement of the miniscrews may create an approximately parallel expansion. Most maxillary expansion was derived from skeletal expansion with slight alveolar bone buccal inclination., (Copyright © 2023 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: This study aims to evaluate the difference of three-dimensional (3D) reconstructed palatal morphology between subjects with skeletal Class III and skeletal Class I in different vertical patterns using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT)., Methods: In this study, 89 subjects with skeletal Class III (49 females, 40 males; 25.45 ± 3.81 years) and 85 subjects with skeletal Class I (45 females, 40 males; 23.95 ± 4.45 years) were collected retrospectively and divided into hyperdivergent, normodivergent and hypodivergent groups. Dolphin software was used to reorient the CBCT images of these subjects. After segmenting 3D object of maxilla from the 3D skull by ProPlan software, Geomagic Studio was used to reconstruct 3D palatal morphology and establish an average 3D palatal morphology for each group. The differences of 3D palatal morphology between different groups were compared by deviation patterns on 3D colored map analysis., Results: 3D colored map analysis showed the posterior part of male's palate was higher and wider than that of female's palate in skeletal Class III subjects. In skeletal Class III subjects, males with hyperdivergent pattern had a higher and narrower palate compared with hypodivergent subjects, while females with hyperdivergent had a higher but not obviously narrower palate compared with hypodivergent subjects. In the similar vertical patterns, skeletal Class III subjects had a flatter but not narrower palate compared with skeletal Class I subjects, along with a smaller palate volume., Conclusions: This method allows more intuitive between-group comparisons of the differences of 3D palatal morphology. In skeletal Class III subjects, as the vertical dimension increased, the palate tends to be higher and narrower. Therefore, the influence of vertical patterns on the palatal morphology should be fully considered in the orthodontic and orthognathic treatment of skeletal Class III subjects., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Introduction: In growing children with transverse malocclusion problems, various types of rapid maxillary expanders (RMEs) have been effectively used in skeletal and dental expansions. We evaluated 3-dimensional dentopalatal changes in growing children who underwent maxillary expansion using RMEs and bonded RMEs., Methods: We investigated dentopalatal changes in 20 patients treated with bonded RMEs, 19 with RMEs, and 38 control patients. Dental plaster models before and after expansion were scanned 3-dimensionally and superimposed to evaluate transverse expansion, expansion ratio, angular expansion, and palatal expansion height ratio., Results: Using bonded RMEs, similar anterior and posterior dental expansions were achieved with an efficiency of 69%-76% (expansion ratio), and palatal soft-tissue expansion occurred more apically in the posterior area (palatal expansion height ratio, 1.00) than in the anterior area (palatal expansion height ratio, 0.64). Using RMEs, a larger posterior dental expansion was achieved, with an efficiency of 106%-117% (expansion ratio), than anterior dental expansion (55%-60%), and palatal soft-tissue expansion occurred more apically in the posterior area (palatal expansion height ratio, 0.99) than anterior area (palatal expansion height ratio, 0.23)., Conclusions: Dental expansions in the anterior and posterior areas were similar using bonded RMEs, whereas the posterior dental expansions were larger than those of the anterior area using RMEs. The entire palatal soft-tissue slope expanded in the posterior area, whereas the occlusal part expanded in the anterior area using RMEs and bonded RMEs., (Copyright © 2023 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Various designs of mini-implants assisted rapid palatal expander (MARPE) appliances can impact treatment effectiveness through their biomechanical effects. The purpose of the study was to study the stress distribution and displacement with four different designs of the MARPE appliance on the craniofacial complex., Methods: A 3D finite element model of the craniofacial complex was created from CBCT DICOM data, comprising four distinct groups. Each group consisted of one 4-hole expansion screw positioned between the second premolar and first molar in all models. Group 1 used four single-cortical mini-implants (1.5×8mm) engaging only the palatal cortex. Group 2 employed four mini-implants (1.5×11mm) engaging both the palatal and nasal cortices. Group 3 had monocortical implants on the palatal slopes, while Group 4 was similar to group 3 with implants in the acrylic wings. Comparisons between groups were made for anchorage (groups 1 and 2), mini-implant position (groups 1 and 3) and surface effect (groups 3 and 4). Von Mises stresses and displacements at various skeletal and dental points were evaluated using ANSYS software., Results: The highest stresses were observed in the maxillary, pterygoid and zygomatic bones, as well as in the mid- palatal suture in all four groups. Downward and forward rotation of the craniofacial complex was noted. Group 2 showed greater skeletal expansion than group 1. Among groups 1 and 3, group 3 showed a better stress distribution. Group 4 showed less dentoalveolar rotation than group 3., Conclusions: The MARPE appliances had an impact on the craniofacial complex with stresses on the mid-palatal suture, maxillary bone, pterygoid bones and anterior teeth. Clockwise rotation of the maxilla, zygomatic bones and dentition was noted, while the pterygoid bones and pterygoid suture were displaced backwards. MARPE with bicortical anchorage produces better skeletal expansion. Placing implants on the palatal slopes with acrylic wings results in better skeletal expansion with less clockwise rotation of the dentition., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: This study aimed to compare the skeletal and dental modifications in adults with different sagittal facial patterns by a personalized miniscrew-assisted rapid palatal expander (pMARPE)., Methods: Forty subjects (aged 18-28 years; 15 females and 25 males) with maxillary transverse deficiency were assigned to 1 of 3 groups (Class I, II, and III relationship) on the basis of their sagittal facial patterns. Each patient was treated with an individually customized expander. A similar expansion protocol was used for all patients. Cone-beam computed tomography scans were obtained before and after expansion. One-way analysis of variance was used to analyze differences among 3 groups in skeletal, dentoalveolar, and periodontal changes (P <0.05)., Results: The success rates of expansion were higher in patients with a Class I or II relationship than those with a Class III relationship. Patients with a Class I or II relationship had greater changes in the anterior nasal spine and maxillary basal bone widths. A more parallel sutural opening in the anteroposterior direction was seen in those with a Class II relationship. The tipping of the maxillary first molar increased, and the buccal alveolar bone thickness decreased in all groups after expansion, especially in patients with a Class III relationship., Conclusions: The pMARPE effectively split the midpalatal suture among adults. However, midpalatal suture expansion was more difficult, and there were more dentoalveolar side effects and fewer orthopedic effects in patients with a Class III relationship than in those with Class I or II relationships., (Copyright © 2023 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Purpose: To assess the influence of interdental spaces and scanning the palate on the accuracy of maxillary scans acquired using three intraoral scanners (IOSs)., Materials and Methods: A virtual completely dentate maxillary cast without interdental spaces was obtained and modified to create 1, 2, and 3 mm of interdental spacing between the anterior teeth. These three files (reference standard tessellation language files) were used to print three reference casts. The reference casts were scanned using three IOSs: TRIOS4, iTero Element 5D, and Aoralscan2. Three groups were created based on the interdental spaces: 0, 1, 2, and 3 mm (n = 10). The groups were subdivided into two subgroups: no palate (NP subgroup) and palate (P subgroup). The reference STL files were used to measure the discrepancy with the experimental scans by calculating the root mean square (RMS) error. Three-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post hoc Tukey pairwise comparison tests were used to analyze trueness. The Levene test was used to analyze precision (α = 0.05)., Results: Trueness ranged from 91 to 139 μm and precision ranged from 5 to 23 μm among the subgroups tested. A significant correlation was found between IOS*group (p<0.001) and IOS*subgroup ( p<0.001). Tukey test showed significant trueness differences among the interdental spaces tested (p<0.001). The 1- and 2-mm groups obtained better trueness than the 0- and 3-mm groups (p<0.001). An 11 μm mean trueness discrepancy was measured among the different interdental space groups tested. The P subgroups demonstrated significantly higher trueness when compared to the NP subgroups (p<0.001). The discrepancy between the maxillary scans with and without the palate was 4 μm. Significant precision discrepancies were found (p = 0.008), with the iTero group showing the lowest precision., Conclusion: Interdental spaces and incorporation of the palate on maxillary intraoral scans influenced trueness and precision of the three IOSs tested. However, the scanning discrepancy measured may be of no clinical relevance., (© 2023 The Authors. Journal of Prosthodontics published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of American College of Prosthodontists.)

Objective: Maxillary morphology has long been a subject of interest due to its possible impact on palatally and labially displaced canines. This study aims to conduct a comparison of the palate morphology between individuals with palatal and labially displaced canines and control subjects using statistical shape analysis on a coronal cross-sectional of CBCT images., Materials and Methods: Patients aged between 12 and 43 years with palatally or labially displaced canines referred to Hamadan School of Dentistry between 2014 and 2019 were recruited for this retrospective study. The sample included 29 palatally displaced canines (PDC), 20 labially displaced canines (LDC), and 20 control groups (CG). Initially, the maxillary palate coronal section was acquired and landmarked in the region between the right and the left first molar. Procrustes and principal component analyses were used to identify the primary patterns of palatal shape variation. Statistical tests were then performed to examine both shape and size differences., Results: According to the results of Hotelling's T2 test, there is a significant difference between the mean shape of palate in PDC and CG (P = 0.009), while the difference between the PDC-LDC and LDC-CG groups is not significant. The longest full Procrustes distance was observed between PDC and CG (distance = 0.043), and the shortest full Procrustes distance was observed between LDC and CG (distance = 0.029). The first two principal components accounted for 84.47% of the total variance. The predictive accuracy of the discriminant analysis model showed that 72.46% of cases were correctly classified into the three study groups., Conclusions: In terms of centroid size, there was no significant difference in the sectional area between the three groups, but the difference between the mean shape of palate in the PDC and CG groups was significant. The PDC group showed more prominent mid-palatal area in the molar region., (© 2023. The Author(s).)

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the pneumatization type of the palatal process (PTP) and angular and distance measurements of neighbouring structures on cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) images., Materials and Methods: 400 maxillary sinuses (MS) of 200 patients (96 female; 104 male; mean age: 43.2) were retrospectively evaluated. PTP was divided into three as types 1,2 and 3 and evaluated at distances 4, 8, 16, and 24 mm posterior to incisive foramen. The sinus and alveolar ridge height, palatonasal recess angle (PRA) and palatal junction angle (PJA) were also measured and recorded., Results: PTP I (101, 25.3%) was the most frequent type, followed by PTP II (95, 23.8%), and the least was PTP III (4, 1%). In patients with PTP I, the alveolar ridge height in the 4 mm and 8 mm group was significantly higher than in the patients with PTP II and III (p<0.05). In patients with PTP I, PRA in the 4 mm and 16 mm groups was significantly higher than in patients with PTP II and III (p<0.05). Sinus and alveolar ridge height, PRA and PJA did not differ significantly between the right and left sides in the 4 mm, 8 mm, 16 mm, and 24 mm groups (p>0.05)., Conclusion: Knowing the anatomy of the MS is very important for a successful surgical procedure in this area. Anatomy and pathology of the MS can be understood more clearly in CBCT., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper, (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between bone density and quantity at the insertion sites of palatal miniscrews and skeletal maturation-evaluated with the middle phalanx maturation method-in growing patients., Methods: Sixty patients were analyzed as having a staged third finger middle phalanx radiograph and a cone-beam computed tomography of the maxilla. On the cone-beam computed tomography, a grid was designed to parallel the midpalatal suture (MPS) and posterior to the nasopalatine foramen, both on the palatal and lower nasal cortical bones. Bone density and thickness were measured at the intersections, and medullary bone density was also calculated., Results: Of patients in MPS stages 1-3, 67.6% showed a mean palatal cortical thickness of <1 mm, whereas in 78.3% of the patients in stages 4 and 5, it was >1 mm. The nasal cortical thickness showed a similar trend (MPS stages 1-3: 62.16% <1 mm; MPS stages 4 and 5: 65.2% >1 mm). There was a significant difference in the density of the palatal cortical bone between MPS stages 1-3 (1272.05 ± 191.13) and stages 4 and 5 (1572.33 ± 274.89) and in nasal cortical density between MPS stages 1-3 (1428.09 ± 198.97) and stages 4 and 5 (1597.97 ± 267.75) (P <0.001)., Conclusions: This study revealed a correlation between skeletal maturity and maxillary bone quality. MPS stages 1-3 have lower palatal cortical bone density and thickness but high nasal cortical bone density values. MPS stage 4 and, even more, stage 5 show increasing palatal cortical bone thickness and palatal and nasal cortical bone density values., (Copyright © 2023 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The palatal scans of the same individuals were compared after two years to assess forensic reproducibility. The effect of orthodontic treatment, the comparison area and the digitization approach were investigated., Methods: The palate was scanned three times in 20 pairs of monozygotic twins with an intraoral scanner (IOS), to assess repeatability. The same subjects were re-scanned two years later, with two different IOSs. An elastic impression and a plaster model were also made and scanned with a laboratory scanner (indirect digitization). Mean absolute distance between scans was compared after best-fit alignment. Scans from the two sessions were compared to evaluate the combined effect of aging, orthodontic treatment and different digitization methods (forensic reproducibility). Additionally, the scans of different digitization methods from the second session were compared (technical reproducibility). The between-siblings difference was compared in the two sessions, to evaluate the effect of aging on palatal morphology., Results: The anterior palatal area showed significantly better repeatability and forensic reproducibility than the whole palate (p < 0.001), but orthodontic treatment had no effect. Indirect digitization produced lower forensic and technical reproducibility than IOSs. For IOSs, repeatability (22 µm) was significantly (p < 0.001) better than either forensic (75-77 µm) or technical reproducibility (37 µm). No significant changes were observed from the first to the second session in the between-sibling comparison. The closest between-sibling value (239 µm) considerably exceeded the highest forensic reproducibility value (141 µm)., Conclusions: Reproducibility is acceptable between the different IOSs, even after two years, but is poor between IOS and indirect digitization. The anterior palate is relatively stable in young adults., Clinical Significance: Intraoral scanning of the anterior palatal area has superior reproducibility, regardless of the IOS brand. Therefore, the IOS method could be suitable for identifying humans through anterior palatal morphology. However, the digitization of elastic impressions or plaster models had low reproducibility, preventing their application for forensic purposes., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2023 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To develop an artificial intelligence (AI) system for automatic palate segmentation through CBCT, and to determine the personalized available sites for palatal mini implants by measuring palatal bone and soft tissue thickness according to the AI-predicted results., Materials and Methods: Eight thousand four hundred target slices (from 70 CBCT scans) from orthodontic patients were collected, labelled by well-trained orthodontists and randomly divided into two groups: a training set and a test set. After the deep learning process, we evaluated the performance of our deep learning model with the mean Dice similarity coefficient (DSC), average symmetric surface distance (ASSD), sensitivity (SEN), positive predictive value (PPV) and mean thickness percentage error (MTPE). The pixel traversal method was proposed to measure the thickness of palatal bone and soft tissue, and to predict available sites for palatal orthodontic mini implants. Then, an example of available sites for palatal mini implants from the test set was mapped., Results: The average DSC, ASSD, SEN, PPV and MTPE for the segmented palatal bone tissue were 0.831%, 1.122%, 0.876%, 0.815% and 6.70%, while that for the palatal soft tissue were 0.741%, 1.091%, 0.861%, 0.695% and 12.2%, respectively. Besides, an example of available sites for palatal mini implants was mapped according to predefined criteria., Conclusions: Our AI system showed high accuracy for palatal segmentation and thickness measurement, which is helpful for the determination of available sites and the design of a surgical guide for palatal orthodontic mini implants., (© 2023 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introduction: Success-related factors of microimplant-assisted rapid palatal expansion (MARPE) were evaluated, including age, palatal depth, suture, and parassutural bone thickness, suture density and maturation, and the relation to corticopuncture (CP) technique, as well as skeletal and dental effects., Methods: Sixty-six cone-beam computed tomography scans were analyzed before and after rapid maxillary expansion procedures in 33 patients aged 18-52 years for both sexes. The scans were generated in digital imaging and communications in medicine file format and analyzed in the multiplanar reconstruction of the regions of interest. Palatal depth, suture thickness, density and maturation, age, and CP were assessed. To evaluate dental and skeletal effects, the sample was divided into 4 groups: successful MARPE (SM), SM + CP technique (SMCP), failure MARPE (FM), and FM + CP (FMCP)., Results: Successful groups presented more skeletal expansion and dental tipping than failure groups (P <0.05). The mean age of the FMCP group was significantly higher than the SM groups; suture and parassutural thickness significantly related to the success, and patients who received CP showed a success rate of 81.2% compared with 33.3% in the no CP group (P <0.05). Suture density and palatal depth did not show a difference between the success and failure groups. Suture maturation was higher in SMCP and FM groups (P <0.05)., Conclusions: Older age, thin palatal bone, and higher stage of maturation can influence the success of MARPE. CP technique in these patients appears to have a positive impact, increasing the chance of treatment success., (Copyright © 2023 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: To compare skeletal and dentoalveolar changes of miniscrew-assisted rapid palatal expansion (MARPE) according to the length of the miniscrews., Materials and Methods: This two-arm parallel-randomized controlled trial included 32 adult patients aged 19-35 years who received orthodontic treatment with MARPE. Patients were allocated to two groups, group long (L) and short (S), through block randomization according to the length of the miniscrews installed in MARPE. Cone-beam computed tomography was performed before expansion and after removal of the MARPE; superimposition of the images was conducted. The primary outcome included the amount of bone expansion and the change in the inclination of the anchorage teeth. The secondary outcome included the success rate of midpalatal suture opening and stability of the miniscrews. Blinding was performed during outcome assessment., Results: The final sample comprised 31 patients. There was no significant difference in patient characteristics between group L (n = 16) and group S (n = 15). The change in the width of the processus zygomaticus (P = .010) and ectocanine (P = .001) was significantly higher in group L. A significantly higher success rate of the posterior miniscrews was seen in group L (P = .024). There was no statistically significant difference in the success rate of suture separation or change in tooth inclination. Notable complications were not reported., Conclusions: MARPE with longer miniscrews can increase the amount of expansion of the maxillary basal bone and canine alveolar bone. Although it also aided in miniscrew stability, it did not guarantee successful midpalatal suture separation., (© 2023 by The EH Angle Education and Research Foundation, Inc.)

Aim: This study aimed to characterise the palatal vault evolution during the first years of life, both in terms of shape and size., Materials: The study sample was composed of 168 healthy children aged less than 4 years. Twenty-one measurements of distances and 6 angles were taken from 7 fixed landmarks set on the palatal vaults 3D surfaces reconstructed from CT-scans. To analyse only the shape evolution, the "sizefree" log-shape ratio of those measurements were computed and the global shape of the palatal vault and their transversal curve were plotted. Statistical analyses were performed to highlight the shape and size differences separately., Conclusion: The shape and size evolution of the palatal vault during the first years of life was not only correlated with deciduous dentition development. We assumed that the progressive orofacial muscles activation and tongue movements in the oral cavity may also explain these results as they induced strains on the palatal vault, warping it in various ways.

Introduction: In the "appliance first" protocol of miniscrew-assisted rapid palatal expansion, the prefabricated shape of the expanders limits the potential locations for miniscrew placement. Considering the influence of palatal thickness on the selection of the optimal length of miniscrews, this study aimed to evaluate the thickness of both bone and mucosa of the palate of patients aged 6-65 years and suggest optimal lengths of miniscrews for this approach., Methods: Two hundred and eighty-two cone-beam computed tomography of patients of both sexes were divided into 3 groups according to age. The thicknesses of bone and mucosa were measured in the anterior and posterior regions of the palate., Results: Males showed a greater thickness of palatal bone than females. The thickness of both bone and mucosa was greater in the anterior region of the palate. The young patients showed greater bone thickness than adults and mature adults. The mature adults showed thinner bone thickness in the posterior region of the palate and greater mucosal thickness along the palate than young patients and adults. Development of miniscrews with longer thread lengths is necessary. Miniscrews with a 3-mm thread length would prevent excessive extravasation in the posterior region of the palate., Conclusions: The thickness of both bone and mucosa of the palate is variable and influenced by sex and age. Manufacturing additional miniscrews with different lengths of thread is suggested to achieve bicortical anchorage in patients undergoing the "appliance first" protocol of miniscrew-assisted rapid palatal expansion., (Copyright © 2023 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: The main purpose of this article was to clarify the relationship of anterior bone and tooth morphology with NPC. The anatomical features of the NPC region in three dimensions from coronal, axial, and sagittal directions were analyzed using CBCT and the effects of age, gender, sagittal root positions (SRPs) of central teeth, anterior overbite depth (AOD), central incisor (CI)/palatal plane (PP) angle, NPC/PP angle, and collum angles (CA) on NPC were evaluated in a group of the Turkish population., Materials and Methods: In this retrospective study, CBCTs of a total of 330 individuals between the ages of 17 and 82 were evaluated. The effects of SRP, AOD, CI/PP angle, NPC/PP angle and CA on the anatomical features of NPC were examined on the basis of age and gender. Descriptive statistics, Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Chi-square, Wilcoxon, Mann-Whitney-U, Kruskal-Wallis, and Spearman correlation tests were used. p values of < 0.05 were accepted as statistically significant., Results: While the SRPs, CI/PP angle, NPC/PP angle, CA, and age did not differ statistically according to NPC shape (p > 0.05), NPC shape varied according to gender and AOD (p < 0.05). It was found that cylindrical NPC (32.8%) was more common in females, while conical-shaped NPC (30.7%) was more common in males (p < 0.01). While most conical NPC was detected in individuals with Class I overbite depth, cylindrical NPCs were found in Class II and III individuals (p < 0.01)., Conclusions: The results showed that gender and AOD are influential factors on NPC shape. While conical-shaped NPC is more common in individuals with bite depth incisal, cylindrical-shaped NPC is more likely to be seen in individuals with middle and cervical thirds., (© 2022. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Japanese Society for Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology.)

Introduction: For patients with maxillary transverse deficiency, selecting an appropriate therapeutic method is important for the treatment effect and prognosis. Our study aimed to explore factors related to microimplant-assisted rapid palatal expansion (MARPE) in teenagers and young adults using cone-beam computed tomography., Methods: Twenty-five patients who underwent MARPE were included in this retrospective study from February 2014 to June 2019. Midpalatal suture density (MPSD) ratio, midpalatal suture maturation (MPSM), bone effect, dentoalveolar effect, and dental effect in maxillary first molar were evaluated using cone-beam computed tomography. Spearman correlation analysis was used to analyze the correlation between the MPSD ratio, MPSM, age, and the expansion amount generated by MARPE., Results: Twenty-five patients (mean age, 19.84 ± 3.96 years; range, 15-29 years) with maxillary transverse deficiency were analyzed. Age was negatively correlated with bone expansion, alveolar expansion, and alveolar change (all P <0.05). There was a negative correlation between MPSM and nasal cavity variation, bone expansion, and alveolar change (all P <0.05). The bone expansion was negatively correlated with MPSD ratio 3 (r = -0.417; P <0.05) and MPSD ratio 4 (all P <0.05)., Conclusions: Age, MPSM, and MPSD ratio were significantly related to the MARPE effect. Age, MPSM, and MPSD ratio should be considered when choosing MARPE., (Copyright © 2022 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The objective of this study was to analyze the short-term and long-term effects of miniscrew-assisted rapid palatal expansion (MARPE) and conventional rapid palatal expansion (RPE) appliances on cranial and circummaxillary sutures as compared with a matched control group., Methods: One hundred and eighty cone-beam computed tomography scans for 60 subjects were evaluated for the 3 groups: (1) MARPE (n = 20; aged 13.7 ± 1.74 years), (2) RPE (n = 21; age 13.9 ± 1.14 years), and (3) control (n = 19; age 13.3 ± 1.49 years) at pretreatment (T1), postexpansion (T2), and posttreatment (T3) (T1 to T3: MARPE, 2 years 8 months; RPE, 2 years 9 months; control, 2 years 7 months). Frontonasal suture, frontomaxillary suture, zygomaticomaxillary suture, zygomaticofrontal suture, intermaxillary suture, pterygomaxillary suture, nasomaxillary suture, and zygomaticotemporal suture were measured on the right and left sides for all 3 time labels. In addition, midpalatal suture was measured at the incisor, canine, and molar levels., Results: Within-group analysis showed that MARPE and RPE led to a significant increase in the widths of frontonasal, frontomaxillary, intermaxillary, nasomaxillary, and midpalatal suture at incisor, canine, and molar levels at T2 compared with T1. Between-group analysis showed that MARPE and RPE significantly increased the width of the intermaxillary and midpalatal suture at the incisor, canine, and molar compared with controls at T2. In the long term, between-group comparisons showed no significant difference among the 3 groups except that MARPE led to a significant increase in the width of midpalatal suture at incisor, canine, and molar levels compared with RPE and controls at T3., Conclusions: MARPE led to a significant increase in the width of the midpalatal suture at incisor, canine, and molar levels compared with RPE and controls in the long term. There was no difference in the width of other cranial and circummaxillary sutures among the 3 groups in the long term., (Copyright © 2023 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

The INTERPOL standard for the identification of unknown individuals includes the established primary characteristics of fingerprint, DNA, and teeth. Exposure to noxious agents such as fire and water often severely limits the availability of usable material such as fingerprints. In addition to teeth, the protected oral cavity also houses palatal fold pairs, which are the subject of this study to demonstrate individuality and consequently support identification. Material and Methods: In this cohort study, 105 participants' palates were scanned twice with a dental intraoral scanner (Omnicam SIRONA®) over a 3 month period and were then analyzed using a matching program. The intraindividual and interindividual differences were determined, and the mean values and standard deviations were calculated and presented. Results: The intraindividual differences are highly significantly lower than the interindividual differences ( p < 0.0001). Conclusions: Within the limitations of this study, the results suggest that palatal rugae pairs can be considered a highly individual feature and could be considered an identification feature in a young and healthy population.