Case Report
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2020. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Cases. Nov 6, 2020; 8(21): 5371-5379
Published online Nov 6, 2020. doi: 10.12998/wjcc.v8.i21.5371
Seven-year follow-up of the nonsurgical expansion of maxillary and mandibular arches in a young adult: A case report
Ting-Ting Yu, Jing Li, Da-Wei Liu
Ting-Ting Yu, Jing Li, Da-Wei Liu, Department of Orthodontics, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Digital Stomatology, Center for Craniofacial Stem Cell Research and Regeneration, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, Beijing 100081, China
Author contributions: Liu DW treated the patient and analyzed the data; Yu TT drafted the manuscript and helped to analysis the data; Li J helped to draft and critically revised the manuscript; all authors read and approved the final manuscript.
Supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China No. 81970909 (to Liu DW), No. 51903003 (to Yu TT); the New Clinical Technology Fund of PKUSS, No. PKUSSNCT-11A07 (to Liu DW); Peking University Medicine Seed Fund for Interdisciplinary Research, No. BMU2018MX007 (to Liu DW).
Informed consent statement: An informed consent from the legal representatives of the patient was requested prior to any treatment procedure.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Da-Wei Liu, DDS, PhD, Academic Research, Assistant Professor, Associate Chief Physician, Associate Professor, Attending Doctor, Research Associate, Department of Orthodontics, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, National Engineering Laboratory for Digital and Material Technology of Stomatology, Beijing Key Laboratory of Digital Stomatology, Center for Craniofacial Stem Cell Research and Regeneration, Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology, No. 22 Zhongguancun South Avenue, Haidian District, Beijing 100081, China. liudawei@bjmu.edu.cn
Received: May 28, 2020
Peer-review started: May 28, 2020
First decision: June 15, 2020
Revised: June 28, 2020
Accepted: September 1, 2020
Article in press: September 1, 2020
Published online: November 6, 2020
Processing time: 162 Days and 7.5 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Palatal expansion treatment has been used to expand the constricted maxillary arch and has become a routine procedure in orthodontic practice over the past decades. However, the long-term stability of expansion in the permanent dentition without a surgical approach is uncertain.

CASE SUMMARY

We present the case of a 15-year-old boy with Class II malocclusion and constricted arches. The patient was treated with rapid palatal expansion (RPE) followed by a fixed orthodontic appliance. A 7-year follow-up evaluation was performed by analyzing cephalometric radiographs, plaster models, and photographs. The patient’s constricted maxillary and mandibular arches were relived after the expansion treatment. A Class I occlusion and normal arch form were established and maintained in the long-term.

CONCLUSION

RPE treatment is successful in solving constricted dental arch in the permanent dentition without a surgical approach. Permanent retention and even occlusal contact help prevent long-term relapse.

Keywords: Rapid palatal expansion; Transverse maxillary deficiency; Stability; Orthodontics; Case report

Core Tip: We report the case of a 15-year-boy who was treated with rapid palatal expansion to relieve constricted upper and lower arches, and followed-up for 7 years to observe the trend in relapse. The treatment outcome showed that RPE treatment is successful in solving constricted dental arch in the permanent dentition without a surgical approach. A proper occlusion and arch form are required for long-term retention.