Professor Shivam Mehta and other faculty members will be comparing two mini-screw-assisted rapid palatal expander protocols to conclude which one is more effective. Photo courtesy of Texas A&M University College of Dentistry.
The American Association of Orthodontists Foundation granted a clinical assistant professor at Dallas’ Texas A&M University College of Dentistry $40,000 to study orthodontic jaw expanders and techniques.
Professor Shivam Mehta and other faculty members will be comparing two mini-screw-assisted rapid palatal expander protocols to conclude which one is more effective, according to a press release from the college. The study is expected to reveal how treatments affect the jaw and its structures. These protocols reshape narrow jaws, and the expanders are particularly useful in helping adults in orthodontics to avoid surgery.
“Which one orthodontists use is often dependent on where they studied, continuing education they received and what they feel comfortable using,” Mehta said in the press release.
The professor said in the press release that his research may be one of the first on these expanders since they were introduced in 2010, and it could affect millions of patients. The 40 patients in the study are expected to be ages 15-25 from A&M Dentistry’s clinic plus others in practices in Dallas and Trophy Club and are new to orthodontic treatment. (It’s important to note that Mehta also works at a private practice that won’t be part of this research.) Those being studied are teens and young adults because of their flexible palates that have started to fuse, but older adults may be studied in future research.
“I hope to have the first results by early next year,” Mehta said in the press release. “Potentially, a second study could look at the long-term outcomes — possibly as long as two years — and bring in some of the same patients.”
Editor’s note: This story has been updated with clarified information. Mehta does not own the private practice that he works at.
I am a North Texas native with roots in Arlington and Benbrook, and I graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2018. My previous work has centered around small towns and cities west of Fort Worth, and my byline has appeared in The Springtown Epigraph/The Tri-County Reporter, Weatherford Democrat, NewsBreak, Fort Worth Weekly and The Shorthorn. I am happy to serve in Lakewood, which I’ve heard referred to as a small town within the big city. Feel free to email me at medwards@advocatemag.com
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I am a North Texas native with roots in Arlington and Benbrook, and I graduated from the University of Texas at Arlington in 2018. My previous work has centered around small towns and cities west of Fort Worth, and my byline has appeared in The Springtown Epigraph/The Tri-County Reporter, Weatherford Democrat, NewsBreak, Fort Worth Weekly and The Shorthorn. I am happy to serve in Lakewood, which I’ve heard referred to as a small town within the big city. Feel free to email me at medwards@advocatemag.com