Periodontal evaluation in patients undergoing maxillary expansion

Maxillary transverse diameter expansion is a treatment various authors have claimed is related to the development of gingival recession on the teeth of the upper arch. The aim of the present study was to compare such an incidence in two different groups of patients: those treated with surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion and orthopedic expansion, respectively. Both treatments achieved the goal of expanding the transverse dimension (5.3 and 4.4 mm, respectively), but a significant difference was shown by the Χ² test for the incidence of gingival recession of premolar/molar upper teeth, more than double for the latter than for the former. Therefore, surgically assisted rapid maxillary expansion seems to be an orthodontically effective procedure, safer than the orthopedic treatment regarding the possible development of mucogingival problems.