Dental arch dimensions in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate

In this investigation, dental arch dimensions during different ages were studied in 72 children with unilateral cleft of the lip, alveolar process, and palate and were compared with those of normal children. All the children with clefts were treated surgically by surgeons of the Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic. The dental arch dimensions were studied with the use of dental casts during the time of full deciduous dentition (3 to 4 years of age), mixed dentition (8 to 9 years of age), and permanent dentition (12 years of age). The major findings were: (1) all maxillary interdental widths and lengths were significantly smaller than the normal dimensions at all ages, except for intermolar width at age 12 years; and (2) the mandibular arch dimensions seemed to be related to changes in the maxillary arch; however, the influence of surgical procedures in the maxillary arch is not reflected severely in mandibular arch dental position.     

Sizes of dental arches and interdental space in 3-year-old children with and without cleft lip/palate

The development of the dental arches in children with oral clefts differs from that in a normal population, due to the type and extension of the cleft, surgical procedure and timing, and decreased growth potential. The size of the maxillary and mandibular dental arches and the amount of interdental space in 3-year-old, cleft-affected and non-cleft children was investigated. Fifty non-cleft (NONC) and 104 cleft-affected subjects including different cleft groups were compared. On average, cleft lip was corrected at the age of 0.6 years and cleft palate at 1.8 years of age. The mean of all width and depth dimensions in the cleft lip group were close to the NONC controls, whereas the dimensions of the cleft palate group were 8-9 per cent smaller in the maxilla and 5-7 per cent smaller in the mandible than were those in the NONC group. In the unilateral complete cleft group, the maxillary dimensions were 11-19 per cent smaller, but in the mandible only 0-4 per cent smaller than in the NONC group. In the bilateral complete cleft group, the maxillary arch was only 6 per cent shorter but 30 per cent narrower at the canines than in the NONC group. In the mandible the corresponding differences were 2 per cent and 6 per cent. Forty per cent of the cleft palate subjects had a crowded maxillary arch compared with 6 per cent of the NONC controls.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Dental development of Chinese children with cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the dental development and rate of tooth development between children with and without cleft lip and palate. Patients: Age- and gender-matched pairs (231 in all) of southern Chinese children ages 3 to 12 years, with and without cleft lip and palate. METHODS: Dental histories and radiographs were studied. From these, dental development was determined. RESULTS: Of 2946 tooth pairs in the children with cleft lip and palate, 252 (8.6%) were found to be asymmetric, significantly (p < .001) more than the 63 of 3179 (2.0%) tooth pairs observed in the children without cleft lip and palate. The teeth with the highest frequency of asymmetry were the maxillary lateral incisors (38.1%). Differences in dental development on the cleft versus noncleft sides of children with unilateral cleft lip and palate were significant for both maxillary and mandibular teeth (p < .001 and p = .039, respectively). The mean delay in tooth formation of the children with cleft lip and palate was 4.4 months relative to the children without cleft lip and palate. The majority of the teeth in the cleft lip and palate group were delayed by one developmental stage. This happened in 40.0% of the maxillary teeth and 30.1% of the mandibular teeth. The delay in tooth formation increased as the number of missing teeth increased in the children with cleft lip and palate, although not significantly. CONCLUSIONS: This group of southern Chinese children with cleft lip and palate demonstrated a higher prevalence of asymmetric and delayed dental development than did their counterparts who did not have cleft lip and palate.     

Unilateral advancement of the maxillary minor segment by distraction osteogenesis in patients with repaired unilateral cleft lip and palate: report of two cases.

OBJECTIVE: Collapse of the maxillary minor segment with lateral crossbite is a common feature in patients with repaired unilateral cleft lip/palate because of maxillary alveolar bony defect and palatal scar tissue. Distraction osteogenesis (DOG) is an effective technique of lengthening and augmentation for bone and gingiva. This case report describes the effects of unilateral advancement of the maxillary minor segment by DOG in two patients with the repaired unilateral cleft lip/palate.     

前方牵引治疗单侧完全性唇腭裂患者术后前牙反[牙合]畸形的研究

目的探讨前方牵引治疗单侧完全性唇腭裂（UCLP）患者术后前牙反[牙合]畸形的效果。方法进行前瞻性临床研究设计,UCLP术后骨性前牙反[牙合]患者治疗组18例,年龄9．63±1．24岁,观察对照组14例,平均8．71±1．92岁,均处于生长发育高峰前期。使用前方牵引进行治疗,治疗或观察前后拍摄头颅侧位片并测量,进行成组设计和配对设计t检验。结果UCLP治疗组前方牵引后,上颌骨前移;下颌后移合并后下旋转;上下颌间关系和面型改善明显,上颌与下颌改变的比值为1：1．7。对照组上下颌不调、前牙反覆盖、凹面型加重。结论UCLP术后轻中度骨性前牙反[牙合]畸形,前方牵引能够促进上颌骨向前,改善上下颌骨关系和软组织面型,应该早期矫形治疗。     

Early prediction of posterior crossbite in the complete unilateral cleft lip and palate

Dental study casts on 35 patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) were evaluated at the late primary and early mixed dentition stages for the presence of significant (more than one tooth) posterior crossbites. Using this crossbite criterion patients were divided into "acceptable" and "unacceptable" groups. Eleven arch dimensions on the presurgical dental casts were measured to see if any, either singly or in combination, could be used to predict the later occurrence of significant crossbite. No single measurement of infant arch dimensions significantly differed between children with and without crossbite. Data from 26 patients were used for discriminant function analysis. This produced an equation correctly predicting the presence or absence of posterior crossbites in 88% of cases in the primary and 91% in the mixed dentitions.     

Relapse tendency in maxillary arch width in unilateral cleft lip and palate patients with different maxillary arch forms.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the relapse tendency in the maxillary dental arch widths in unilateral cleft lip and palate patients with different types of maxillary arch form. SUBJECTS: Thirty-two unilateral cleft lip and palate patients treated by one-stage surgical palatal closure were included. The subjects were divided into three groups according to the types of the maxillary arch forms: group A, symmetrical arch form; group B, collapse of minor segment; group C, collapse of both segments. METHODS: Using dental casts obtained at three different times, relapse in the intercanine, interpremolar, and intermolar widths in each group was assessed and differences between groups were investigated. Results: Patients in group A showed stable results in all measurements. Patients in group B showed posttreatment relapse in the intercanine width only, whereas patients in group C demonstrated significant posttreatment relapses in the interpremolar and intermolar widths. Comparison between groups showed more significant relapse in the interpremolar and intermolar widths of group C than in those of group B. CONCLUSION: The types of the maxillary arch forms in unilateral cleft lip and palate patients might play a stronger role in the stability of the maxillary dental arch widths after orthodontic treatment in patients with collapse of both segments and a severe degree of maxillary narrowness.     

Craniofacial growth in unilateral cleft lip and palate: skeletal growth from eight to eighteen years

Sixteen individuals with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) were evaluated for determination of several craniofacial dimensional means and growth rates. Each had undergone primary lip and palatal closure and alveolar bone grafting. Serial cephalographs from ages 8 to 18 years, taken every 2 years, were utilized for determination of six cephalometric dimensions: anterior cranial base, upper and lower facial heights, posterior nasomaxillary height, maxillary horizontal length, and mandibular length. These were then compared to published cephalometric standards of a nonclefted group. All dimensions, except mandibular length, were smaller in the UCLP group. The horizontal maxillary length was the most diminished in mean length and growth rate; it appears to be most affected in UCLP. The remaining dimensions and growth rates are affected by UCLP, but to a lesser degree. These findings indicated that individuals with unilateral cleft lip and palate are primarily and adversely affected by clefting (and the surgery as described) in the horizontal maxilla, both in dimension and growth rate.     

Infant orthopedics has no effect on maxillary arch dimensions in the deciduous dentition of children with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (Dutchcleft).

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of the effect of infant orthopedics on maxillary arch dimensions in the deciduous dentition in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate. DESIGN: Prospective two-arm randomized controlled clinical trial with three participating cleft palate centers. SETTING: Cleft palate centers of the Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Academic Center of Dentistry Amsterdam, and University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands. PATIENTS: Children with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (n = 54) were included. INTERVENTIONS: Patients were randomly divided into two groups. Half of the patients (IO+) had a presurgical orthopedic plate until surgical closure of the soft palate at the age of 52 weeks; the other half (IO-) did not undergo presurgical orthopedics. MEAN OUTCOME MEASURES: Maxillary arch dimensions were assessed on dental casts at 4 and 6 years of age with measurements for arch width, arch depth, arch length, arch form, and the vertical position of the lesser segment. Contact and collapse were assessed also. RESULTS: There were no clinically significant differences found between IO+ and IO- for any of the variables. CONCLUSIONS: Infant orthopedics had no observable effect on the maxillary arch dimensions or on the contact and collapse scores in the deciduous dentition at the ages of 4 and 6 years. Considering the Dutchcleft results to date, there is no need to perform infant orthopedics for unilateral cleft lip and palate patients.     

Mandibular morphology in complete unilateral cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate and compare mandibular morphology and spatial position in children with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) treated at two different cleft centers (Hannover and Brussels) following different surgical treatment protocols. PATIENTS: A total of 62 Caucasian children (40 boys, 22 girls) with nonsyndromic complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) were evaluated by means of conventional cephalometric analysis at approximately the age of 10 years. Data of both cleft groups were compared with a control, noncleft group (n = 40) matched according to age and sex. INTERVENTIONS: The Hannover children with cleft (n = 36) underwent lip repair at a mean age of 5.83 +/- 1.16 months. The hard and soft palates were closed at a mean age of 29.08 +/- 4.68 and 32.25 +/- 4.29 months, respectively. The Brussels children with cleft (n = 26) were treated according to the Malek surgical protocol with soft palate repair at a mean age of 3.04 +/- 0.20 months and simultaneous lip and hard palate repair at a mean age of 6.15 +/- 0.68 months. RESULTS: Statistical analysis (analysis of variance with post hoc Tukey's test) showed a significant (p =.001) smaller mandibular ramus length (Co-Go) in the Brussels cleft group, compared with the control group. The Hannover-Brussels comparison data revealed that the S-N-B angle was significantly (p =.047) less in the Brussels cleft group. CONCLUSIONS: The influence of surgical procedures in patients with UCLP might not be restricted to the maxilla but could influence mandibular spatial position to the cranial base. Because of these positional changes of the mandible, both cleft groups showed facial balance.     

Chronology and sequence of eruption of the permanent teeth in patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVE: To establish the chronology and sequence of eruption of the permanent teeth in subjects with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. Data on children presenting complete cleft lip and palate were evaluated. SETTING: The study was carried out at the Hospital for Rehabilitation of Craniofacial Anomalies, Bauru, S?o Paulo, Brazil. SAMPLE: The sample comprised 477 patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate, aged 5 to 14 years. Of these patients, 166 were girls and 311 were boys. RESULTS: The girls presented, for all maxillary and mandibular teeth, a smaller mean age of eruption than the boys. The maxillary lateral incisor and cuspid adjacent to the cleft presented significantly higher mean ages of eruption than their homologous teeth on the noncleft side.     

Associations between severity of clefting and maxillary growth in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate treated with infant orthopedics.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine possible associations between severity of clefting in infants and maxillary growth in children with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate. DESIGN: This was a retrospective study of measurements made on infant maxillary study casts and maxillary cephalometric variables obtained at 5 to 6 years of follow-up. SETTING: The study was performed at the Institute of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery of New York University Medical Center, New York, New York. PATIENTS: Twenty-four consecutive nonsyndromic unilateral complete cleft lip and palate patients treated during the years 1987 to 1994. INTERVENTIONS: All the patients received uniform treatment (i.e., presurgical orthopedics followed by gingivoperiosteoplasty to close the alveolar cleft combined with repair of the lip and nose in a single stage at the age of 3 to 4 months). Closure of the palate was performed at the age of 12 to 14 months. RESULTS: Infant maxillary study cast measurements correlated in a statistically significant manner with maxillary cephalometric measurements at age 5 to 6 years. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrate the large variation in the severity of unilateral cleft lip and palate deformity at birth. Patients with large clefts and small arch circumference, arch length, or both demonstrated less favorable maxillary growth than those with small clefts and large arch circumference or arch length at birth.     

成人双侧唇腭裂前牙反牙合的非手术治疗

目的：在成人双侧Ⅲ度唇腭裂患者前牙反牙合治疗中应用小型下颌双侧后退位牙合板,适度后退下颌骨,评价其矫治前牙反牙合的临床效果。方法：应用小型下颌双侧后退位牙合板治疗48例成人双侧Ⅲ度唇腭裂术后前牙反牙合患者。在打开咬合的同时后退下颌骨,亦可同时侧方调位下颌骨,并同时粘固上下颌牙列托槽进行牙列的排齐整平。正畸治疗结束后进行缺牙区义齿修复。结果：患者侧貌在戴用后退位牙合板后明显改善,下颌骨整体后退,反牙合矫治时间较普通牙合板明显缩短。使患者避免了正颌手术。随访2年以上疗效稳定。结论：小型下颌双侧后退位牙合板适用于下颌可适度后退的成人双侧唇腭裂术后前牙反牙合患者。下颌骨整体地有效后退缩短了矫治时间,也使上颌扩弓的难度明显减少。该牙合板结构小巧不影响上下颌牙列托槽的粘固,是较固定反式TBA更为理想的装置。     

Palate morphology after unilateral and bilateral cleft lip and palate closure

The aim of the present study was to compare the morphology of the hard palate of patients with uni- and bilateral cleft lip and palate after palatoplasty using vomer and palatal pedicled flaps with the palatal morphology of non-cleft individuals. Eighty patients were enrolled into this retrospective study: 40 patients with cleft lip and palate (30 unilateral, 10 bilateral) and 40 non-cleft patients with class I occlusion, who served as controls. Analysis of the development of the maxillary arch and evaluation of palatal morphology were accomplished from reformatted CT scans from plaster casts of the maxilla at the age of 4, 10 and 15 years (cleft patients) and 10 years (controls). Width and symmetry of the maxillary arch and morphology of the hard palate were assessed in the canine and molar region and compared both among the cleft groups and the controls. Maxillary arch width as assessed from plaster casts did not differ significantly between uni- and bilateral cleft patients and was not significantly different from controls at the age of 10. Deviation from symmetry was present in both types of cleft and significant in unilateral clefts when compared to bilateral clefts and non-cleft patients. Palatal morphology did not differ significantly between uni- and bilateral clefts until the age of 15, but was significantly different from control patients in the molar area at the age of 10 presumably due to the medial shift of soft tissue flaps used for palatoplasty. It is concluded that palatoplasty significantly alters hard palate morphology particularly in the posterior area. The relevance of this alteration for speech and articulation remains to be explored.     

Mandibular morphology and spatial position following one-stage simultaneous repair of complete unilateral cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVE: To assess mandibular structure and spatial position following one-stage simultaneous repair of the unilateral cleft lip and palate. DESIGN: Forty boys and 17 girls with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate who underwent one-stage simultaneous repair of the cleft by the same surgeon at the age of 9.23 months (standard deviation = 1.74) were selected. Lateral cephalograms taken at the age of approximately 10 years were analyzed and were compared with a sex- and age-matched control group that consisted of individuals with Angle Class I, no crossbite, positive overbite <5 mm, mild crowding (Incisor Irregularity Index <3.5 mm), and harmonious facial build. RESULTS: No intergroup differences were demonstrated regarding structure of the cranial base. The mandible was found to be retruded and at a larger inclination to the cranial base as compared with controls. Both total mandibular length (ArGn) and length of the mandibular body were larger in the control group, at <2 mm. Height of the ramus and gonial angle were similar in both groups. Intergender comparison showed few significant differences in control subjects only (SN, SGo, and NMe variables). CONCLUSIONS: The mandible, following a one-stage simultaneous repair of cleft, was found to be retrusive, and the length of mandibular body was <2 mm shorter than that of the controls.     

Lip movement in patients with a history of unilateral cleft lip.

OBJECTIVE: The influence of a repaired cleft lip on the stability of coordination between upper and lower lip in nonspeech and speech tasks was investigated. DESIGN: First, we looked at the effects of a secondary cleft lip repair in three individuals. Second, we compared subjects with a history of repaired unilateral cleft lip and subjects with no history of cleft lip (controls). Lip coordination was measured using continuous estimates of relative phase. PARTICIPANTS: Subjects were nine children and adolescents with a primary unilateral cleft lip and palate repair and 4 participants without cleft matched for age across different age categories. RESULTS: In general, the averaged relative phase angle (RPA) angle values were smaller than 180 degrees, indicating an upper lip lead for lip closure. Controls showed a tendency toward a more symmetric type of coordination (close to 180 degrees), compared with subjects with a repaired unilateral cleft lip. The controls also showed less variation in coordination between the lips. For the more complex speech tasks, a general increase in variability of the RPA values for all subjects was observed, most likely suggesting a more flexible type of coordination. Regarding the effect of a secondary cleft lip repair, only one of the three patients showed a clearly less symmetric and less stable type of coordination, compared with preoperation results. CONCLUSIONS: There appear to be differences in lip coordination between speakers without and speakers with a repaired unilateral cleft lip. Furthermore, it seems that the stability of lip coordination tends to increase with age.     

Primary alveolar cleft bone grafting in unilateral cleft lip and palate: arch dimensions at age 8.

The purpose of this investigation is to determine whether primary alveolar cleft bone grafting in infants with unilateral cleft lip and palate (N = 17) leads to less favorable dental arch dimensions at age 8 when compared with other 8-year-old patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate who received no alveolar bone grafting procedures (N = 49). Dental casts were obtained for the primary grafted group, and arch lengths and widths were digitally recorded with a reflex microscope. These arch dimensions were then compared with the reported data for a nongrafted group and a noncleft group of 8-year-old children. The major findings were: 1) that the dental arches of both cleft groups generally demonstrated a significant diminution in length and width (P < 0.05) compared with the noncleft groups, and 2) that the patients who underwent primary alveolar cleft bone grafting showed no statistically significant difference for any arch dimension (P < 0.05) when compared with the nongrafted group lacking this additional surgical procedure.     

Changes in occlusion and maxillary dental arch dimensions in adults with treated unilateral complete cleft lip and palate: a follow-up study

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the occlusion and maxillary dental arch dimensions in adults with repaired complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) and to investigate the patterns of change in early adulthood. Study models from 39 patients (25 men, 14 women; mean age 24.7 years, range 20.2-29.3 years) with a diagnosis of complete UCLP taken at a follow-up examination were analysed and compared with the study models taken at baseline examination (mean age 19.1 years, range 16.0-20.6 years). Lip closure was carried out according to the Millard technique and palatal closure according to the Wardill-Kilner technique. All patients had received orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances. The patients were divided into three groups according to the type of retention in the upper arch: no retention (n = 15), retention with a bonded twisted retainer (n = 13), an onlay or fixed bridge (n = 11). Occlusion was evaluated according to a scoring system. The maxillary dental arch dimensions were measured with a video imaging system. There was a significant deterioration in the total occlusal score during the follow-up period and this was larger on the cleft than on the non-cleft side. There were no significant differences in the anterior scores. A comparison of the transversal and sagittal maxillary arch dimensions revealed significant differences in all measurements during the follow-up interval. The reduction was largest for the maxillary second premolar width, followed by the first molar width. The overjet differed significantly between the registrations. The occlusal score and the maxillary arch dimensions were reduced in all of the three subgroups, but there were no differences between the groups.     

Effects of lip repair on maxillary growth and facial soft tissue development in patients with a complete unilateral cleft of lip, alveolus and palate.

PURPOSE: To examine the relationship between lip repair and inhibition of maxillary growth, and to investigate the characteristics of upper lip in patients with complete unilateral clefts of lip, alveolus and palate. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Lateral cephalometric radiographs and photographs (anterior-posterior and profile) were taken for 3 groups of patients: (1) 35 complete unilateral cleft lip, alveolus and palate cases in whom only a labioplasty was performed as infants; (2) 47 cases who had both lip and palate repaired; and (3) 37 non-cleft peers as controls. RESULTS: There was maxillary retrusion in groups (1) and (2). Surface area and height of the upper lip was reduced in both these groups when compared with the normal controls. CONCLUSION: Lip repair is a most important factor in the restraint of maxillary growth in patients with complete unilateral clefts of lip, alveolus and palate. And height and projection of the upper lip are reduced following lip repair.     

Dentocraniofacial morphology of 21 patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate: a cephalometric study.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the skeletal and dental craniofacial proportions of unilateral cleft lip and palate patients who were operated upon using the Malek technique, and compare them with a normal group to highlight the effect of surgical correction on craniofacial development during growth. DESIGN: Retrospective. METHODS: The cleft palate was closed using the Malek technique in a single operation at 3 months for 11 patients (complete closure of lip and palate) and in a two-stage operation for 10 patients (soft palate at 3 months, lip and hard palate at 6 months). Comparisons were made with a normal control group. Angular and linear measurements of anterior and posterior dimensions of the upper and lower compartments of the face were measured in the 7th and 12th years. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: No significant differences were observed between the two groups of palate technique repair, although significant differences were observed between craniofacial dimensions of normal versus cleft lip and palate patients. At a skeletal level, the maxilla and mandible were retrusive relative to the cranial base in the cleft lip and palate group. In fact, there was a backward rotation of the palatal plane with repercussions on the maxillo-mandibular complex position. Furthermore, the maxilla was shorter than in normal patients, whereas the mandible was normally shaped. The upper incisors were retroclined and they locked the lower incisors in linguoversion. There was a posterior skeletal deficit of the respiratory compartment, compensated by more marked posterior maxillary alveolar growth. Facial growth in cleft lip and palate patients followed the same pattern, but was delayed compared with normal patients.