Pulpal blood flow: effects of corticotomy and midline osteotomy in surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion.
OBJECTIVE
Surgically assisted rapid palatal expansion is used for the management of transverse maxillary deficiency in the early permanent dentition. The success depends on the maintenance of an adequate blood supply to the mobilized segments. The aim of this study was to assess the effects of corticotomy and midline osteotomy on the tooth pulpal blood flow.


METHODS
Laser Doppler flowmetry was applied as a non-invasive and reliable technique for the assessment of pulpal blood flow in the maxillary centrals, canines and first molars. The blood flow was investigated pre- and postoperatively, on the first, third, and seventh postoperative days bilaterally in 13 cases.


RESULTS
The results of this study indicate that ischaemia of the pulp can occur following osteotomy at the Le Fort I level.


CONCLUSIONS
Corticotomy 5mm above the dental apices and separating the midpalatal suture did not have any serious effect on pulpal blood flow in this study.
Oztürk
Mustafa
M
Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery and Orthodontics, Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Turkey. mozturk@cumhuriyet.edu.tr
Doruk
Cenk
C
Ozeç
Ilker
I
Polat
Serkan
S
Babacan
Hasan
H
Biçakci
A Altuğ
AA
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003393:Cranial Sutures / Q000601:surgery; D003481:Cuspid / Q000098:blood supply; D003782:Dental Pulp / Q000098:blood supply*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor / Q000098:blood supply; D007511:Ischemia / Q000209:etiology; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry / Q000295:instrumentation; D008297:Male; D008437:Maxilla / Q000002:abnormalities / Q000601:surgery*; D008963:Molar / Q000098:blood supply; D010027:Osteotomy / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000379:methods*; D019340:Osteotomy, Le Fort / Q000009:adverse effects; D010155:Palatal Expansion Technique; D021362:Palate, Hard / Q000601:surgery; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D016896:Treatment Outcome