Biology 2022, 11, 1142. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology11081142 www.mdpi.com/journal/biology Article Observation of Palatal Wound Healing Process Following Various Degrees of Mucoperiosteal and Bone Trauma in a Young Rat Model Yingmeng Liu † , Shiming Zhang † , Karim Ahmed Sakran, Jiayi Yin, Min Lan, Chao Yang, Yan Wang, Ni Zeng *, Hanyao Huang * and Bing Shi State Key Laboratory of Oral Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Oral Diseases, Department of Oral Maxillofacial Surgery, West China Hospital of Stomatology, Sichuan University, Chengdu 610041, China; liuyingmeng_cn@163.com (Y.L.); shimmy_zhang@163.com (S.Z.); sakrandent89@gmail.com (K.A.S.); scuyjy@sina.com (J.Y.); lanmin1109@163.com (M.L.); 28611736@163.com (C.Y.); wangyancn2022@163.com (Y.W.); shibingcn@vip.sina.com (B.S.) * Correspondence: zengnihx@sina.com (N.Z.); huanghanyao_cn@scu.edu.cn (H.H.); Tel.: +86‐028‐85501462 (N.Z. & H.H.); Fax: +86‐28‐85502570 (N.Z. & H.H.) † These authors contributed equally to this work. Simple Summary: The exact correlation of palatal trauma to maxillary inhibition has not been demonstrated. This paper determines the influence of different degrees of palatal trauma on maxillofacial growth and assesses whether usage of ADM can help rescue the inhibited growth during palatal wound healing. This research would help the surgeons comprehensively understand the impact of palatal trauma on maxillary growth and the therapeutic effect of the ADM. Abstract: The accidental injury or surgery on soft and hard palatal tissue has an adverse impact on normal maxillary morphology. To design a single‐factor experiment that excludes other interfering factors on maxillary growth, a young rat model was established to simulate the various degrees of palatal trauma. Eight maxillary parameters were measured to evaluate the impact of palatal trauma on maxillary growth. Furthermore, the acellular dermal matrix (ADM) was applied to cure the palatal trauma and alleviate the adverse impact of bone denudation on the maxillary growth. Micro‐ CT scanning and histology analyses were used. One‐way ANOVA with least significant difference (LSD) post‐test was used to evaluate the statistical significance. The palatal trauma mainly disturbed the transverse development of the maxilla. ADM promotes mucosa healing, but there is still an inhibitory effect on maxillofacial growth. Keywords: palatal wound healing; acellular dermal matrix; maxillary growth; mucoperiosteal trauma 1. Introduction The hard palate sits at the front of the roof of the mouth and contains the palatine bone, making up two‐thirds of the palate, separating the oral cavity and nasal cavity, participating in feeding and speech [1]. Palatal tumor or fracture, cyst resection, or scar contracture after surgical repair can lead to palatal trauma [2–4]. In the pediatric population, the child’s propensity to place objects in their mouth, or sabotage physical accidents, along with their unsteady gait, makes palatal trauma more common. Meanwhile, patients with cleft palate who receive palatoplasty or the use of relaxation incision also suffer from palatal trauma caused by surgery [5]. Palatal trauma in the adult population affects their phonation and mastication. In children and adolescents at the Citation: Liu, Y.; Zhang, S.; Sakran, K.A.; Yin, J.; Lan, M.; Yang, C.; Wang, Y.; Zeng, N.; Huang, H.; Shi, B. Observation of Palatal Wound Healing Process Following Various Degrees of Mucoperiosteal and Bone Trauma in a Young Rat Model. Biology 2022, 11, 1142. https://doi.org/10.3390/ biology11081142 Academic Editor: Guo‐Hao Lin Received: 28 June 2022 Accepted: 21 July 2022 Published: 29 July 2022 Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Copyright: © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/license s/by/4.0/).