Tomographic evaluation of the maturation stage of the midpalatal suture in postadolescents.

INTRODUCTION: In this study, we aimed at evaluating the maturation stage of the midpalatal suture based on its morphology, using cone-beam computed tomography images in young postadolescents. METHODS: The sample comprised 112 patients, 68 female and 44 male, aged 16 to 20 years, consecutively selected from 2 private orthodontic clinics. They had cone-beam computed tomography images in their initial orthodontic files, requested for orthodontic planning purposes. These images were exported to the Invivo 5 program (Anatomage, San Jose, Calif), where axial sections were obtained from the midpalatal suture for morphologic evaluation. Two previously calibrated examiners interpreted the images to establish the stage of sutural maturation of each patient according to its morphologic characteristics in 5 maturational stages (A, B, C, D, and E). The kappa coefficient was applied for intraexaminer and interexaminer agreements, and their values were 0.87 and 0.89, respectively. RESULTS: The maturational stages most often observed in this study were C, D, and E, (91.9%). In males, stage C was present in 52.3%; for females this prevalence was 39.7%. CONCLUSIONS: The high prevalence of stage C in this age group may justify a clinical study to confirm the good prognosis for rapid maxillary expansion in postadolescents.