Stress Distribution and Displacement of Craniofacial Structures Following Rapid Maxillary Expansion in Different Types of Cleft Palate: A Three-Dimensional FEM Study

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate displacements and stress distributions in finite element models (FEMs) of the craniofacial complex of 13-year-old male patient with complete unilateral cleft palate (UCP), a 15-year-old female patient with complete bilateral cleft palate (BCP), and a 15-year-old female patient with isolated cleft palate (ICP), which may respond differently to expansive forces.