Table 1 Inclusion and exclusion criteria used for study selection (PICOS)
Element | Contents |
|---|---|
Participants | Growing patients in the mixed dentition or early permanent dentition, mild-to-moderate maxillary transverse deficiency, dental crowding, treatment with fixed expanders for RME or SME The exclusion criteria were: combined use of facemask treatment, extraction cases, adult treatment, syndromic patients, and surgical cases |
Intervention | Conventional fixed jackscrew expanders (either tooth-borne, Hyrax expander, or tooth-tissue-borne, Haas expander) to obtain RME (typically one or two quarters of a turn of the screw per day) |
Comparison | Treatment with slow maxillary expansion (SME) achieved with fixed expanders (e.g., jackscrew expander, quad helix, expanders incorporating stainless steel or nickel-titanium springs or nickel-titanium wires) |
Outcome | PROMs such as pain, difficulty in speaking, difficulty in swallowing, difficulty in expander hygiene, satisfaction of the patients and the parents |
Study design | RCTs (randomized controlled trials) |