Clinical and patient-reported outcomes on miniscrew-assisted maxillary expansion: A scoping review

OBJECTIVES: Miniscrew-assisted rapid palatal expansion (MARPE) has been proposed as an alternative for correcting maxillary transverse deficiency, allowing predominantly skeletal expansion. However, evidence on its clinical and patient-reported outcomes remains heterogeneous and poorly systematized. This scoping review aimed to map and synthesize the available evidence on the clinical and patient-reported outcomes associated with MARPE. METHODS: This scoping review followed the PRISMA-ScR guidelines, with the protocol registered in the Open Science Framework. Searches were conducted up to October 2025 in Medline (via PubMed), Web of Science, EMBASE, the Cochrane Library, and grey literature. Studies evaluating MARPE for maxillary transverse deficiency and reporting clinical and/or patient-reported outcomes were included. Data were extracted and synthesized descriptively in narrative and tabular formats. RESULTS: A total of 149 studies, predominantly observational, were included, with publications increasing from 2015 onwards. The most frequently assessed clinical outcomes were skeletal and dental, particularly midpalatal suture expansion, basal bone width, intermolar distance, and dental tipping. Among patient-reported outcomes, pain and discomfort were most commonly evaluated. Overall, objective clinical outcomes predominated over patient-centred outcomes. CONCLUSION: Clinical outcomes predominated, whereas patient-reported outcomes remained underrepresented. Considerable methodological heterogeneity in outcome definitions, measurements, and reporting limited comparisons across studies and the strength of the available evidence. Greater standardization of outcome reporting and further robust research are needed to support evidence-based clinical recommendations.