In-silico evaluation of orthodontic miniscrew-assisted rapid palatal expanders for patients with various stages of skeletal maturation.

Introduction: This study aimed to use a finite element method to assess the stress on the miniscrews, skeletal and dental changes resulting from maxillary expansion using either a tooth-bone-borne (TBB) or a bone-borne (BB) device on patients with various skeletal maturation.

Methods: Two types of expanders were modeled using SolidWorks. The design of the 2 expanders was similar, with the exception that the BB appliance lacked support for teeth (rods and bands).