Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Oral and Dental Medicine - Department of Orthodontics

The purpose of this randomized controlled clinical trial was to evaluate clinically and radiographically the efficacy of the Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) using bone-borne hyrax expander on the amount of expansion in growing patients with transverse maxillary deficiency.The secondary outcomes of this study were to measure the rate of maxillary expansion clinically during the active expansion phase (15 days) and the amount of pain during the expansion phase. Twenty-four growing female patients from the age of 10 to 13 years with transverse maxillary deficiency were included in this study.The patients were randomly assigned into two groups: Non-laser group that used a boneborne hyrax expander and a laser group that used the bone-borne hyrax expander with laser. CBCT scans were collected from all the patients before starting the treatment. The bone-borne 7 mm hyrax appliance was anchored to four palatal mini-screws that were placed between the upper first and second premolars and between the second premolars and first molars.The active expansion phase in this study was 15 days. LLLT was performed in the laser group in the first 5 days of expansion. Clinical measurements every day using a digital gauge was performed to measure the diastema, intercanine, inter-canine and intermolar widths in order to measure the rate of expansion. A Wong Baker Faces Scale was used to measure the amount of pain during the expansion phase. The hyrax appliance was locked after that and kept in place 6 months for retention.The laser group patients received LLLT in the first 3 days of retention followed by 3 doses every 7 days. After the 6 months of retention, the appliance was removed and CBCT scans were collected from both groups for skeletal and dental measurements to compare them within each group before comparing the two groups. A curve was formed using the clinical measurements to compare the rate of expansion between the two groups. another curve was formed to compare the level of pain between the two groups.Statistical analysis was performed on the gathered data and results were withdrawn

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