Abstract

Introduction.

The atresia or narrowness of the upper jaw is a pathology of multifactorial origin that generates a transverse collapse, it implies the lack of space necessary for the correct arrangement of the dental pieces.

Objective.

This article is framed in a narrative review of the literature, with the aim of describing the therapeutic approach of transverse maxillary collapse with microimplants (TAD’s), determining the skeletal and dentoalveolar effects in the maxilla, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of treatment.

Method.

The search for articles was carried out through the following platforms: Scielo, PubMed, Google Scholar and Medline. 21 articles whose full texts were downloaded were selected to examine them in detail and verify that they met all the inclusion criteria, of which 18 articles were obtained to prepare this narrative review.

Conclusions.  The therapeutic approach to transverse collapse occurs through rapid maxillary expansion (RME) or maxillary disjunction, in young growing patients; and in adult patients, treatment with the MARPE technique with microimplants (TAD’s) is usually used. The main skeletal effect is the opening of the maxillary suture, which varies from 2 to 10 mm. Many authors agree that the management of the transverse collapse of the maxilla with microimplants does not generate negative dentoalveolar effects, on the contrary, it has biomechanical advantages due to the anchorage with the bone, reducing the risk of unwanted dental movement and allowing control of vertical growth.

Key words: Transverse collapse; upper jaw; microimplants; TAD’s