Effects of the expander with differential opening and the conventional expander: an advanced 3D dentoskeletal assessment using AI-based automated tools

• Grant number: 24/20228-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research Internship - Doctorate
• Start date: February 03, 2025
• End date: April 27, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry - Orthodontics
• Principal Investigator: Daniela Gamba Garib Carreira
• Grantee: Rodrigo Almeida Nunes Teixeira
• Supervisor: Lucia Helena Cevidanes
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia de Bauru (FOB). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Bauru , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Michigan, United States
• Associated to the scholarship: 23/15009-5 - Influence of the expander with differential opening and the conventional Hyrax expander in the pediatric obstructive sleep apnea: a randomized clinical trial, BP.DR

Abstract

Objective: To compare the dentoskeletal changes in patients in the mixed dentition treated with the differential and conventional expanders using an advanced three-dimensional image analysis with the support of artificial intelligence (AI). Methods: This study included cone-beam computed tomography scans from a randomized clinical trial. The sample was randomly divided into two groups: 13 participants were treated with rapid maxillary expansion (RME) using an expander with differential opening, and 13 participants were treated with a Hyrax expander. The primary outcomes assessed in this study will include lateral maxillary dentoskeletal displacements and changes in the buccolingual inclination of the molars and canines. Anteroposterior and vertical displacements will be evaluated as secondary outcomes. The 3D dentoskeletal analysis will be conducted using two open-source software programs, ITK-SNAP (version 4.2.0) and 3D Slicer (version 5.6.2), employing AI-based automated tools to data anonymization, standardized head orientation, construction of 3D volumetric files, image superimposition, landmark identification and quantification of 3D components changes. Analysis of results: T-tests or Mann-Whitney tests will be used for intergroup comparisons, with the level of significance set at 5%. The null hypothesis is that both expander designs have similar outcomes.