Maxillary growth after palatal denudation: an animal experiment.

BACKGROUND: Palate surgery at an early age may cause retardation of maxillary growth. The second intention healing of the raw bone surface created on the palate is considered to be the cause of the growth retardation. The animal experiment in this study was designed to evaluate this effect. METHODS: Four-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 3 groups. In the first group, a strip of mucoperiosteum was excised on both sides of the hard palate. A second group of rats received a sham surgery in which bilateral mucoperiosteal flaps were raised and redraped. The third group served as controls with no surgery. Flap elevation with and without excision was performed under an operative microscope to facilitate the delicate manipulation of tissue and to avoid injury to the underlying bone. The animals were killed 11 weeks later and the skulls were prepared for measurements, which included the palatal inter-molar width, maxillary height, and maxillary length. RESULTS: The results revealed statistically significant decreases in palatal width and maxillary length in the experimental group (excision of mucoperiosteum). No differences were observed in the vertical height of the maxilla. CONCLUSION: This study confirms that surgically created bone denudation of the palate causes maxillary growth disturbances.