title: Photographic assessment of nasal morphology following rapid maxillary expansion in children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study was to use facial analysis to determine the effects of rapid maxillary expansion (RME) on nasal morphology in children in the stages of primary and mixed dentition, with posterior cross-bite.
  
  
  METHODS
  Facial photographs (front view and profile) of 60 patients in the pre-expansion period, immediate post-expansion period and one year following rapid maxillary expansion with a Haas appliance were evaluated on 2 occasions by 3 experienced orthodontists independently, with a 2-week interval between evaluations. The examiners were instructed to assess nasal morphology and had no knowledge regarding the content of the study. Intraexaminer and interexaminer agreement (assessed using the Kappa statistic) was acceptable.
  
  
  RESULTS
  From the analysis of the mode of the examiners' findings, no alterations in nasal morphology occurred regarding the following aspects: dorsum of nose, alar base, nasal width of middle third and nasal base. Alterations were only detected in the nasolabial angle in 1.64% of the patients between the pre-expansion and immediate post-expansion photographs. In 4.92% of the patients between the immediate post-expansion period and 1 year following expansion; and in 6.56% of the patients between the pre-expansion period and one year following expansion.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RME performed on children in stages of primary and mixed dentition did not have any impact on nasal morphology, as assessed using facial analysis.
authors: Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies, University of São Paulo, Rua Rio Branco 20-81, Bauru, SP, Brazil. ortoface@travelnet.com.br
authors: Omar Gabriel da
authors: OG
authors: Silva Filho
authors: Tulio Silva
authors: TS
authors: Lara
authors: Priscila Vaz
authors: PV
authors: Ayub
authors: Amanda Sayuri Cardoso
authors: AS
authors: Ohashi
authors: Francisco Antônio
authors: FA
authors: Bertoz
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D003818:Dentition, Mixed; D005145:Face / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009296:Nasal Cavity / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D015588:Observer Variation; D009929:Organ Size; D010155:Palatal Expansion Technique / Q000009:adverse effects*; D023861:Photography, Dental / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D014094:Tooth, Deciduous