Osteodistraction of the maxilla in transverse deficiency in adults: Analysis of the literature and clinical case

Osteogenic distraction is a bone regeneration and reconstruction technique. Razdolsky et al. (2001) [1] have defined it as “the process of creating new bone by stretching”. Disjunction entails separating two anatomical structures at their junction system and, therefore, at a suture. Usually, it involves separating two semi-maxillae in the transverse dimension by means of an osteotomy. Transverse maxillary distraction appears to offer an alternative of choice to orthognathic surgery alone, which is frequently prone to relapse (Betts et al., 2004) [2]. The greatest benefit of osteogenic distraction lies in its greater potential for expansion and concurrent growth of the soft tissues. Among other things, this technique increases arch length, thus precluding tooth extractions in cases of maxillary crowding, and appears to provide more stable results than conventional surgical intermaxillary disjunction.