Purpose: The aim was to study the skeletal effect of rapid palatal expansion (RPE) on the anterior and posterior nasal width in a sample of Egyptian children (age range 9.4-14.3 years, mean 11.16 years) with bilateral cleft lip and palate (BCLP).
Methods: Twenty Egyptian children with complete BCLP exhibiting maxillary transverse deficiency were divided randomly into; Group 1 received a fixed fan expander and Group 2 a hyrax expander. Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images were taken before T1 and 3 months after expansion T2, just before the alveolar cleft grafting (ACG) surgical procedure. Linear and angular measurements were assessed to measure the degree of change on the anterior and posterior nasal chamber widths, dentition, and dental arch.
Results: Repeated measure ANOVA with a between variable analysis was used to examine the effect of the two expanders on the dental arch and anterior nasal width as well as posterior nasal width. Statistically significant increase in dentoalveolar measurements were found in each group, nasal widths showed no statistically significant differences before and after expansion.
Conclusion: increase in nasal width were found to be statistically insignificant following RME.