Conventional bone-anchored palatal distractor using an orthodontic palatal expander for the transverse maxillary distraction osteogenesis: technical note

Objective: Surgical-assisted rapid palatal expansion includes various treatment procedures for solving transverse maxillary deficiencies, especially in cases with a matured palatal suture. Recent introduction of the concept of distraction osteogenesis has contributed to generalize this useful treatment and to develop some bone-borne devices that will not cause the problems found in cases treated by tooth-supported palatal expander. This report shows a conventional bone-borne distractor using commercially available orthodontic palatal expansion screws. Method: The distractor consists of 2 parts: one is a commercially available orthodontic palatal expansion screw (Hyrax type, Fan style) and another is a screw-ring, which is one of the attached parts of the mandibular distraction system. The bone screws are inserted transmucosally to the palatal bone via the screw-rings. Result: The palatal distractor can be applied to varied palatal shapes and can expand the palate without any trouble. Conclusion: This conventional palatal distractor may contribute to generalize the transpalatal maxillary distraction osteogenesis for cases with maxillary teeth problems.