Midpalatal suture density ratio: Assessing the predictive power of a novel predictor of skeletal response to maxillary expansion

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to assess the predictive power of the midpalatal suture density ratio (MPSD) for skeletal response to rapid maxillary expansion (RME). METHODS: Initial and final cone-beam computed tomography scans were obtained from orthodontic patients treated with RME. MPSD was calculated from initial scans, and the amount of skeletal expansion after treatment was predicted. Predicted values were compared to actual values on final CBCTs using equivalence testing, and regression analyses investigated correlations between MPSD and skeletal expansion. RESULTS: MPSD was not strongly correlated with skeletal expansion for any group. The predicted skeletal expansion using MPSD was not statistically equivalent to the actual skeletal expansion achieved using an equivalence margin of ±0.05. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that the MPSD ratio is not significantly correlated with the amount of long-term skeletal expansion achieved, making it ineffective in predicting the amount of long-term skeletal expansion achieved after RME.