To: Editor, The Angle Orthodontist
Re: Dentoskeletal effects of a temporary skeletal anchorage device-supported rapid maxillary expansion appliance (TSADRME): A pilot study. Jason William Vassara, Anastasios Karydisb, Terry Trojan, Jack Fisher. The Angle Orthodontist. 2016; 86: 241–249.
Thank you for contributing this interesting study to The Angle Orthodontist. As I read your paper, I was motivated to ask some questions related to this topic:
Since the age group in the study included adolescent and young adult patients (8 to 18 years) and RME is often unpredictable for such patients, do you think it would have been helpful to evaluate midpalatal suture morphology as well as maturation in this group? Since CBCT was already available for the patients in the study, midpalatal suture maturation could have been assessed. CBCT could also have been used to estimate expected resistance at the circum-maxillary suture system by means of its maturation pattern.
Furthermore, other side effects of conventional RME such as increasing anterior face height by causing opening rotation of the mandible has been noted in some previous studies. Do you think that this effect would be minimized in prone patients (hyperdivergent individuals) using the method described in your study using temporary anchorage devices?
Thank you again for writing this wonderful article.