Assessment of midpalatal suture maturation is crucial before deciding which type of maxillary expansion technique will be performed to treat transverse discrepancies. In 2013, Angelieri et al. proposed a new method to evaluate midpalatal maturation using cone-beam computed tomography. The aim of this study was to systematically identify, evaluate, and provide a synthesis of the existing literature about this new method and to rigorously assess the methodological quality of these articles. A bibliographic search was carried out using PubMed, Cochrane Library, SciELO, LILACS, Web of Science, and Scopus using the terms midpalatal suture, cranial sutures, palate, maturation, interdigitation, ossification, maxillary expansion, evaluation, assessment, and assess. Quality assessment was performed using the Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies tool developed by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Hence, 56 articles were obtained, of which only 10 met the selection criteria. We could not include any of the data into an analysis because of the large variation of the data collected and high methodological heterogeneity found among studies. Of all the studies included, 10% had poor quality, 70% fair, and 20% good quality, respectively. Even though age and sex play a role in midpalatal suture obliteration, there is a poor correlation between these variables. Thus, every patient should be assessed individually before choosing the best protocol for maxillary expansion. The midpalatal suture maturation method has the potential to be used for diagnostic purposes, but clinicians should be cautious of routinely using it because an extensive training and calibration program should be performed prior.

In this study, we aimed to evaluate the frequency of midpalatal maturational stages in a Chilean urban sample of adolescents, post-adolescents and young adults, associated with chronological age and sex, by assessing CBCT scan images. Tomographic images in axial sections of the midpalatal sutures from 116 adolescents and young adults (61 females and 55 males, 10–25 years old) were classified according to their morphologic characteristics in five maturational stages (A, B, C, D and E), as proposed by Angelieri et al. The sample was divided into three groups: adolescents, post-adolescents and young adults. Three previously calibrated examiners (radiologist, orthodontist and general dentist) analyzed and classified the images. Stages A, B and C were considered to be an open midpalatal suture, and D and E were considered to be a partially or totally closed midpalatal suture. The most frequent stage of maturation was D (37.9%), followed by C (24%) and E (19.6%). The possibility of finding closed midpalatal sutures in individuals of 10 to 15 years was 58.4%, and in subjects aged 16 to 20 and 21 to 25 years, it was 51.7% and 61.7%, respectively. In males, Stages D and E were present in 45.4%; for females, this prevalence was 68.8%. Individual assessment of the midpalatal suture in each patient is of crucial importance before making the clinical decision of which is the best maxillary expansion method. Due to the extensive calibration and training required, it is advisable to always request a report from a radiologist. Individual evaluation with 3D imaging is recommended because of the great variability observed in the ossification of midpalatal sutures in adolescents, post-adolescents and young adults.