Interceptive Maxillary Expansion to Relief Anterior Crowding in the Mixed Dentition

July 15, 2025 updated by: Region Örebro County

Interceptive Maxillary Expansion to Relief Anterior Crowding in the Mixed Dentition: a Longitudinal, Randomized Controlled Trial

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare if it is better to treat severe anterior crowding in the early mixed dentition then later in the permanent dentition in children with anterior crowding of the upper teeth. The main questions this trial aims to answer are:

  • If there is a difference in the degree of anterior crowding between the experimental group and the control group after a five year follow-up period.
  • If there is a difference between the experimental group and the control group in regard to oral health related quality of life.
  • If there is spontaneous transversal adaption of the lower dental arch to upper dental arch after maxillary expansion and compare this to the control group.
  • If early maxillary expansion is more cost-effective than treatment in the permanent dentition.

To be eligible for this trial the subject must be children between six and nine years old at the time for inclusion. The children must have crowding of the upper front teeth of six millimeters or more and the lateral incisors should not have erupted or just erupted through the gingiva.

Subjects randomized to the experimental group will get an expansion treatment in the upper jaw with rapid maxillary expansion device to gain enough space for the lateral incisors to erupt. All subjects, also the subjects randomized to the control group, are followed until all permanent teeth have erupted.

At the end of the follow-up period all subjects fill out a questionnaire to evaluate their oral health related quality of life.

Researchers will then compare the subjects in both groups to evaluate if there is a difference in anterior crowding after the follow-up period. Differences in cost-effectiveness, morphological changes and the subjects oral health related quality of life will also be evaluated.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

The study will be conducted on consecutively included subjects referred to the centers and then randomized into either an experimental group or a control group.

To be able to evaluate the amount of anterior crowding before the lateral incisors have erupted, low-dose Cone Beam Computed Tomography-scans are used to measure the width of the unerupted laterals. The anterior crowding is calculated by comparing the width of the laterals with measurements of the distance between the mesial surfaces of the deciduous upper canines on study casts. The eligible subjects are then randomized to either experimental och control group.

The subjects in the experimental group will be treated with a maxillary expansion appliance with bands on the second deciduous molars and arms to the deciduous canines. A small preparation on the palatal surface of the deciduous canines is performed to facilitate bonding of the arms. The screw gives a expansion of 0,20 millimeter per activation. The arms are bonded to the deciduous canines with light curing composite and the bands are cemented on the etched second deciduous molar with glassionomer cement.

Then the subject and the parents are instructed to activate the appliance once a day (1/4 turn) for 2 weeks and thereafter every second day until adequate space for the lateral incisors is obtained and the first permanent molars are approaching scissor-bite.

The expansion can be paused for 7-8 months after 25-30 activations if the lateral incisors are not yet erupted and the permanent molars are going in scissor-bite to allow for their spontaneous correction. The expansion is then continued until adequate space for the lateral permanent incisors is achieved.

During the expansion the subjects will be asked to complete a questionnaire on pain and discomfort.

When enough space is available for the crowding to be resolved the expander is blocked with light curing composite or a stainless steel ligature wire. The appliances is kept as a retainer until the laterals are fully erupted.

After the follow-up period the treatment effects will be evaluated by measuring of the study models. All measurements will be made digitally with the 3Shape OrthoAnalyzer Differences in palatal volume, transversal width of the maxillary and mandibular dentition between the start of the trial and at the end of the follow-up period will be measured. The questionnaires regarding pain and discomfort and PIDAQ will be analyzed.

The last part of the study is to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis for early treatment with maxillary expansion and a cost-effectiveness analysis for treatment in the permanent dentition and then compare them. The direct cost for both experiment and control group will be calculated by adding up material cost and chair-time cost. The indirect cost is defined as the cost for the parents regarding loss of income for the duration of the visits and the trips to and from the clinic. Due to the fact that there are substantial differences in traveling time and income for parents, the indirect costs of treatment will not be taken into account because the randomization will equalize the effect of the differences.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
60

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Contact Backup

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Healthy subjects without sucking habits
  • Permanent maxillary central incisors and first permanent molars fully erupted. DS1M1.
  • No severe crowding or protrusion in the lower arch considering the Leeway space and normal development of the arch.
  • Permanent first molar in normal transversal relation.
  • Crowding of the maxillary incisors with the lateral incisor just erupting ectopically or not yet emerged through the gingiva.
  • Crowding greater than or equal to 6 millimeters between the upper deciduous canines.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Skeletal asymmetries, anomalies and syndromes.
  • Previous orthodontic treatment

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Early maxillary expansion

The subjects in the experimental group will be treated with a maxillary expansion appliance with bands on the second deciduous molars and arms to the deciduous canines. The screw gives a expansion of 0,20 millimeter per activation. The arms are bonded to the deciduous canines with light curing composite and the bands are cemented with glassionomer cement.

The subject are instructed to activate the appliance once a day (1/4 turn) for 2 weeks and thereafter every second day until adequate space for the lateral incisors is obtained.During the expansion the subjects will be asked to complete a questionnaire on pain and discomfort.

The subjects will be recalled for follow-up visits after 24 months (T1), 36 months (T2), 48 months (T3) and when all permanent premolars are erupted (T4).

At T1, T2 and T4 the subjects are asked to fill out the Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire (PIDAQ).

The subjects need for further treatment will be evaluated and initiated at T4.
Device: Maxillary expansion device
The maxillary expansion device is a orthodontic appliance that is used to expand the maxilla in children.
No Intervention: Control group

The control group is not going to receive any treatment under the observation period.

The subjects will be recalled for follow-up visits with photographs (4 extraoral photos and 5 intraoral photos) and study models (digital or cast) after 24 months (T1), 36 months (T2), 48 months (T3) and when all permanent premolars are erupted (T4).

At T1, T2 and T4 the subjects are asked to fill out the Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire (PIDAQ) to evaluate their oral health related quality of life.

The subjects need for further treatment will be evaluated and initiated at T4.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Long-term spontaneous alignment of anterior maxillary teeth
Time Frame: At the end of the observation period, an average of 5 years
The long-term spontaneous alignment of anterior maxillary teeth will be evaluated visually and measure on the digital study models.
At the end of the observation period, an average of 5 years

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Impact on oral health related quality of life
Time Frame: At the end of the observation period, an average of 5 years.

The impact of early expansion treatment on the oral health will be measure at the end of the observation period in both the experimental group and the control group. This will be measured with the Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire (PIDAQ). The PIDAQ is made of four subparts;

  • Dental Self-Confidence; six questions answered on a Likert-scale between 0 and 4. Maximum score is 24 och minimum is zero. Higher score is better.
  • Social Impact: eight questions answered on a Likert-scale between 0 and 4. Maximum score is 32 and zero minimum. Lower score is better.
  • Psychological Impact: six questions answered on a Likert-scale between 0 and 4. Maximum score is 24 and zero minimum. Lower score is better.
  • Aestethic Concern: three questions answered on a Likert-scale between 0 and 4. Maximum score is twelve and zero minimum. Lower score is better
At the end of the observation period, an average of 5 years.
Cost-effectiveness of early expansion treatment
Time Frame: At the end of the observation period, an average of 5 years.
The total cost of treatments in both the control- and experimental group will be compared to evaluate which treatment is the most cost-effective.
At the end of the observation period, an average of 5 years.
Morphological changes in the upper and lower arches.
Time Frame: At the end of the observation period, an average of 5 years.
The morphological changes after expansion will be measured on study models and compared to the study models at the start point. The same will be conducted on the study models for the control group.
At the end of the observation period, an average of 5 years.
Complications of expansion.
Time Frame: At the end of the observation period, an average of 5 years.
This measure will be reported descriptive and the complications analyzed.
At the end of the observation period, an average of 5 years.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Region Örebro County

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
December 20, 2021

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 31, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
January 31, 2028

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
November 17, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
December 29, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
January 2, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
July 18, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 15, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 275470

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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