Assessment of Dimensional Changes in Arch Width and Palatal Rugae Pattern in Pre and Post Orthodontic Treatment

Introduction The three-dimensional alterations in the dentition and the entire dento-facial complex must be taken into account during orthodontic diagnosis and treatment planning. Palatal rugae gives us the reference plane we need for a longitudinal cast analysis and the structural stability of an orthodontic treatment is correlated with how much the palate surface has been deformed.Objective To evaluate the changes in arch width and quantify the dimensions positional variations and area of the rugae in extraction and non-extraction orthodontic cases.Methodology The study included a sample of 52 sets of pre and post models of orthodontically treated patients. Using digital calipers inter canine and inter premolar distances were measured in pre and post orthodontic treatment models and palatal rugae were carefully highlighted using 0.3 mm lead pencil. The highlighted palatal rugae were traced using matte acetate tracing sheet and graph sheet overlapped and measurements were done.Results A significant difference was found in the inter canine p lt0.026 and inter premolar p lt0.021 measurements in extraction group.Conclusion Inter canine width increased in extraction group. The antero posterior dimension of palatal rugae showed significant increase in dimension and increase in the surface area of palatal rugae pattern in non-extraction group.nbsp