Miniscrew-assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion With and Without Corticopuncture

September 29, 2025 updated by: Yomna Mohamed Mohamed Yacout, Alexandria University

Assessment of Miniscrew-assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion With and Without Corticopuncture in Adults: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Rapid palatal expansion aims at skeletally correcting the transverse maxillary deficiency by applying forces to separate the mid-palatal suture. In adult patients, the separation of the mid-palatal suture may not be possible due to its increased interdigitation. Miniscrew-assisted rapid maxillary expansion (MARPE) was proposed to transmit the forces directly to the mid-palatal suture through palatal miniscrews in addition to the anchor teeth. However, some non-growing patients may not respond favorably to MARPE. Hence, the use of corticopunctures as an adjunct to MARPE was recently proposed to overcome the increased resistance of the sutures in adult patients.

The study aims to assess and compare the skeletal and dental effects of miniscrew-assisted rapid palatal expansion with and without corticopunctures in non-growing patients.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Rapid palatal expansion is a common treatment modality that aims at skeletally correcting the transverse maxillary deficiency by applying forces to separate the mid-palatal suture. In adult patients, the separation of the mid-palatal suture may not be possible due to its increased interdigitation and ossification. Miniscrew-assisted rapid maxillary expansion (MARPE) was proposed to transmit the forces directly to the mid-palatal suture through palatal miniscrews in addition to the anchor teeth. However, some non-growing patients may not respond favorably to MARPE. Hence, the use of corticopunctures as an adjunct to MARPE was recently proposed to overcome the increased resistance of the ossified mid-palatal sutures in adult patients.

The aim of the study is to assess and compare the skeletal and dental effects of miniscrew-assisted rapid palatal expansion with and without corticopunctures in non-growing patients.

A randomized clinical trial will be conducted to address the aim of the study. Patients will be randomly and equally assigned to group 1 (Corticopuncture-facilitated MARPE) or group 2 (Conventional MARPE). Both groups will be treated using Maxillary Skeletal Expander (MSE II, Biomaterials Korea Inc., Seoul, Korea). Ten corticopunctures will be made in group 1 along the mid-palatal suture with the aid of a 3D printed surgical guide. The skeletal and dental changes will be assessed using cone beam computed tomography scans obtained before treatment and after 6 months of expansion stabilization. The results will be compared between the groups and analyzed using the appropriate statistical tests.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

24

Phase

  • 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 Locations

  • Egypt
      • Alexandria, Egypt
        • Faculty of Dentistry, Alexandria University

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

Ages Eligible for Study

16 years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Suture maturation stage D or E according to the method of Angelieri et al. (Angelieri F, Cevidanes LH, Franchi L, Goncalves JR, Benavides E, McNamara JA, Jr. Midpalatal suture maturation: classification method for individual assessment before rapid maxillary expansion. Am J Orthod Dentofacial Orthop. 2013;144(5):759-69.)
  2. Maxillary transverse deficiency measured using the method of Cantarella et al. (Cantarella D, Dominguez-Mompell R, Mallya SM, Moschik C, Pan HC, Miller J, et al. Changes in the midpalatal and pterygopalatine sutures induced by micro-implant-supported skeletal expander, analyzed with a novel 3D method based on CBCT imaging. Prog Orthod. 2017;18(1):34.)
  3. Good oral hygiene (Score <2 based on the Simplified Oral Hygiene Index (OHI-S)). (Greene JC, Vermillion JR. The Simplified Oral Hygiene Index. J Am Dent Assoc. 1964;68:7-13.)

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. History of previous orthodontic or orthopedic treatment.
  2. History of facial trauma or surgery.
  3. Patients with congenital craniofacial malformations or diagnosed syndromes.
  4. Medical history that prohibits the surgical intervention.

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
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Corticopuncture-facilitated MARPE
Patients will be treated using Maxillary Skeletal Expander (MSE II, Biomaterials Korea Inc., Seoul, Korea) with corticopunctures .along the mid-palatal suture
Procedure: MARPE with Corticopunctures
Maxillary Skeletal Expander (MSE II, Biomaterials Korea Inc., Seoul, Korea) used to correct the maxillary transverse deficiency aided with corticopunctures made along the mid-palatal suture
Active Comparator: Conventional MARPE
Patients will be treated using Maxillary Skeletal Expander (MSE II, Biomaterials Korea Inc., Seoul, Korea) without corticopunctures.
Device: MARPE
Maxillary Skeletal Expander (MSE II, Biomaterials Korea Inc., Seoul, Korea) used to correct the maxillary transverse deficiency

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Transverse skeletal changes from baseline to an average of 6 months after the initial activation, measured using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT)
Time Frame: At baseline and an average of 6 months after the initial activation
The data from CBCT scans at the different time points will be exported in Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) format and processed using suitable software. The relevant landmarks will be defined and located by the investigator to measure the transverse skeletal changes in mm from baseline to the end of passive retention of the expansion.
At baseline and an average of 6 months after the initial activation

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Dento-alveolar inclination changes from baseline to an average of 6 months after the initial activation, measured using CBCT
Time Frame: At baseline and an average of 6 months after the initial activation
The data from CBCT scans at the different time points will be exported in DICOM format and processed using suitable software. The relevant landmarks will be defined and located by the investigator to measure the changes in dentoalveolar inclination from baseline to the end of passive retention of the expansion.
At baseline and an average of 6 months after the initial activation

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

Alexandria University

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Yomna M Yacout, MSc, PhD, Alexandria University
  • Study Chair: Eiman S Marzouk, MSc, PhD, Alexandria University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

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)

August 1, 2022

Primary Completion (Actual)

November 1, 2023

Study Completion (Actual)

March 1, 2024

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

September 14, 2022

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 14, 2022

First Posted (Actual)

September 16, 2022

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimated)

October 2, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

September 29, 2025

Last Verified

September 1, 2022

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • 0489-8/2022

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

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.

Clinical Trials on Malocclusion

Clinical Trials on MARPE with Corticopunctures

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in Algeria

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe