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Comparative Study
. 2025 Aug 25;26(1):30.
doi: 10.1186/s40510-025-00576-0.

Treatment outcomes of 3D-printed custom and conventional mini-implant assisted rapid palatal expanders (MARPE)

Yash Sharma  1 , Heeyeon Suh  2 , Jonas Bianchi  1 , Audrey Yoon  1   3 , Heesoo Oh  1
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Treatment outcomes of 3D-printed custom and conventional mini-implant assisted rapid palatal expanders (MARPE)

Yash Sharma et al. Prog Orthod. .

Abstract

Background: Maxillary expansion has been a treatment of choice for correcting transverse skeletal discrepancies, especially in growing patients. For older patients, Mini-implant Assisted Rapid Palatal Expansion (MARPE) offers a promising treatment option. This study evaluates the treatment outcomes of Custom 3D-printed MARPE compared to Conventional MARPE (MSE-II).

Methods: This retrospective study analyzed CBCT images from 42 patients aged 16 to 35 years, comparing measurements before (T1) and after (T2) expansion. The conventional (n = 21) and custom (n = 21) MARPE groups were matched with age and sex. Skeletal and dental changes were evaluated measuring twelve distances and four angles using Dolphin Imaging Software (Chatsworth, Calif). The measurements included frontozygomatic and maxillary widths, nasal cavity width, and dentoalveolar inclination. The effectiveness of each appliance was evaluated based on magnitude of expansion and successful correction of transverse discrepancy.

Results: The custom MARPE group demonstrated comparable or greater increase in width across various anatomical landmarks to the conventional group. Logistic regression suggested a trend toward higher odds of successful transverse discrepancy correction with custom MARPE.

Conclusions: Custom 3D-printed MARPE appliances may offer advantages in achieving skeletal expansion in older patients. Individualized appliance design and strategic mini-implant placement could contribute to effective treatment. However, further research is needed to evaluate long-term outcomes, cost-effectiveness, and potential complications to better guide appliance selection for each patient.

Keywords: 3D-printed custom; Maxillary expansion; Mini-implant assisted rapid palatal expanders.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: The present study was based on the previously collected data, no ethics approval was required. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Two types of MARPE appliances use in the study. A Conventional MSE-II MARPE; B Custom 3D Metal Printed MARPE with TigerDental Powerscrew
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Maxillary and mandibular widths measured at the right first molar furcation level. a maxillary width (MxW, mm); b mandibular width (MnW, mm). Maxillomandibular skeletal transverse discrepancy (MxMnD, mm) can be calculated as (a–b)
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Mini-implant placement for custom 3D metal printed MARPE. 5° divergence lateral to the mid-palatal suture and 15–30° divergence between maxillary second premolar and first molar
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Skeletal and dental linear and angular measurements. A Frontozygomatic and maxillary linear measurements (mm); B Nasal cavity width (mm) and Dentoalveolar inclination (o); C Orbitale-Orbitale transverse width (mm); D U6 inclination (o); U6, maxillary first molar
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
MARPE jackscrew expansion measurements on CBCT at T2. A conventional MARPE; B Custom MARPE
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Mean expansion (mm) at different vertical levels. The error bars indicate the standard deviations. Blue, conventional MARPE group; red, custom MARPE group; MxW, Maxillary width; U6, maxillary first molar. *Indicates a statistically significant difference between conventional and custom MARPE groups
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
Scatter plot showing the relationship between age at T1 and maxillary width (MxW) change. Each point represents an individual patient, with the sex (M or F) labeled. Points are color-coded by MARPE type (Custom vs. Conventional). A red dashed horizontal line at 2 mm indicates the threshold for clinically meaningful expansion
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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