SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT

This 1.5 hour CE course* will investigate the traditional means of using RME during interceptive treatment to expand the palate of patients with CL&P and contrast that to a new and innovative approach that uses just braces and wires.

Traditional treatment of patients with cleft lip and palate (CL&P) involves using rapid maxillary expansion (RME) to expand the maxilla during interceptive treatment in preparation for placement of the alveolar bone graft.  However, many of these patients do not actually have a posterior transverse discrepancy.  Instead, they have a narrow, V-shaped maxillary arch which is narrow in the middle and posterior thirds, and are often premaxillary deficient.  Therefore, traditional RME often over-expands the posterior segments and under-expands the middle and anterior segments of the arch, creating arch coordination issues with the mandibular arch.

In addition, expanders present many challenges such as food impaction, discomfort, speech issues, etc. that can make placement and maintenance challenging both for the practitioner and the patient.  And turning of the hyrax key is not always easy for the parent(s).

*DOC is a Certified CE Provider in the State of Florida