Role of the midpalatal suture in FEA simulations of maxillary expansion treatment for adolescents: A review

The overall goal of this review was to observe how the material properties of the unfused midpalatal suture have been considered by researchers in finite element analyses of maxillary expansion. Literature from Scopus, PubMed, and Biosis were all considered. Upon completion of the review, it was found that researchers assumed the suture to be vacant, have the same elastic properties as bone, or have elastic properties indicative of soft tissues. By performing a simplified analysis of the maxilla complex during expansion, it is shown that the suture may have a significant influence on treatment outcome. As a result, despite valuable contributions from previous studies, it would be ideal to incorporate a more representative model of the midpalatal suture into finite element simulations.