Constriction of the maxillary dental arch by mucoperiosteal denudation of the palate.

OBJECTIVE: This study examined the influence of two factors in the constriction of the maxillary dental arch by mucoperiosteal denudation of the palate: (1) inhibition of lateral growth and (2) medial inclination of teeth. METHOD: Thirty-five male 20-day-old Wistar rats were divided into experimental and control groups. The experimental group had bilateral mucoperiosteum excised in the lateral one third of the palate. Methyl methacrylate resin-embedded frontal sections were prepared from both groups after alternate weekly injections of tetracycline and calcein in the dorsal subcutaneous area. The sections were observed and photographed under either a confocal laser scanning microscope, a fluorescence microscope, or both. Chronological changes in lateral palatal growth, maxillary dental arch width, and inclination of the upper first molars were examined up to 8 weeks after the operation. Paraffin-embedded frontal sections were also made and stained with Elastica van Gieson stain. RESULTS: The scar tissue formed on the rat palate by the mucoperiosteal denudation was tightly connected to the palatal bone and teeth. The intervals between the labeling lines of the experimental group were less definite during the first 2 weeks after the operation. Increments of palatal and maxillary dental arch widths were smaller in the experimental group than in the control group. The upper first molars in the control group gradually inclined laterally, whereas those in the experimental group inclined medially with age. CONCLUSION: Medial inclination of teeth is a stronger influence than inhibition of lateral growth on constriction of the rat maxillary dental arch.