Rapid palatal expansion in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis patients

Aim: To get rapid expansion of the palate in patients with Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA). Material and Methods: JIA is a common disease of childhood. It causes joint inflammation, typically before 16 years of age. The cause of the illness is unknown, and it persists for at least 6 weeks. The reported prevalence of JIA is 0.07 to 4.01 per 1000 individuals. The most important manifestation of the disease is chronic synovitis with epithelial proliferation, resulting in increased synovial fluid production and pressure within the affected joint(s). The JIA can lead in children to temporomandibular joint damage with facial development and growth alterations. JIA of the mandibular condyle produces morphological and surface changes, including cortical erosion, flattening, sclerosis, osteophyte formation, and reduced inter-articular space. At the Department of Orthodontics of the Dental Clinic of the University of Milan it looks 8-year-old female suffering of JIA. It was prescribed a Cone Beam CT of the skull to assess the progress of the disease. It was decided to make a therapy with palatal expander. The expansion was made by the patient to perform a quarter turn of the screw expansion per day for 15 days. It was used this technique, different from the usual, to be able to check for side effects mediated by the patient's pathology. After expanding rapidly, the patient presented to regular checks for the following 6 months. Results: At the end of the controls therapy, the expansion of the palate was succesful. The results are perfectly comparable to those seen in healthy patients. The patients has not experienced joint pain or worsening of their health.