Rapid maxillary expansion using mini-implants in an adult patient with transverse deficiency: a case report

Abstract

The general objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the MARPE (Maxillary Skeletal Expander) device in opening the median palatine suture and promoting rapid maxillary expansion in a 21-year-old adult patient, as well as to assess improvements in intermolar and interpremolar distances. A clinical intervention was performed using MARPE in a 21-year-old patient. The treatment included the application of the MARPE SL expander and HS MARPE mini-implants to facilitate maxillary expansion. Tomographic images were obtained to measure intermolar and interpremolar distances before and after the intervention. The analysis involved comparing pre- and post-treatment measurements to determine the increment in expansion. The main results obtained showed that the initial intermolar distance was 44.6 mm and increased to 51 mm after treatment, resulting in a gain of 6.4 mm. The initial interpremolar distance was 36.9 mm and increased to 40.4 mm, with an increment of 3.5 mm. MARPE treatment was effective in resolving the patient's right posterior crossbite and achieving skeletal expansion. It can be concluded that the MARPE device proved to be an effective technique for rapid maxillary expansion and crossbite correction in an adult patient. Despite the positive results, further studies are needed to explore MARPE's efficacy across different levels of ossification of the median palatine suture and to validate these findings in a larger sample.