Treatment outcome after two-stage palatal closure in unilateral cleft lip and palate: a comparison with Eurocleft.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate dental arch relationships of patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) treated with a two-stage palatal closure and to compare them with the six centers from the Eurocleft study that used various treatment protocols. DESIGN: Repeated-measures study. SETTING: Cleft Palate Craniofacial Unit of Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Nijmegen, the Netherlands. PATIENTS: Records of 9-year-old children with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (n = 43) were included.Interventions: The dental arch relationships of these patients were assessed by applying the Goslon Yardstick and subsequently compared with the Goslon outcome of the six-center Eurocleft study. MEAN OUTCOME MEASURES: Statistics of intra- and interexaminer agreement. RESULTS: For the Nijmegen UCLP group, 9% of dental arch relationships had a Goslon score of 1, 52% had a score of 2, 30% has a score of 3, 9% had a score of 4, and none had a score of 5. The mean Nijmegen Goslon score showed no significant differences with Eurocleft centers A, B, and E, which achieved the best treatment results, but did significantly differ from Goslon outcomes of Eurocleft centers D (p < .001), C, and F (p < .01), which had relatively poor treatment outcome. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment outcome of the patients in the Nijmegen UCLP group treated with two-stage palatal closure was comparable with the results of the Eurocleft centers with the best outcome. Treatment protocol could not explain differences in the quality of treatment results.     

Dental arch relationships in Yorkshire children with unilateral cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the dental arch relationships of children with a complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP), born consecutively between 1983 and 1987, who had undergone primary cleft repair in the West Yorkshire region of the United Kingdom. The treatment outcome of this UCLP sample was then compared with the results of a previously published intercenter European study. DESIGN: A retrospective study with standardized record collection and blind assessment. SETTING: Regional dental hospital providing secondary and tertiary health care to the local population. PATIENTS: 35 UCLP patients whose primary repair had been performed within West Yorkshire. INTERVENTIONS: Dental casts obtained for each subject within 12 months of their 10th birthday. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The West Yorkshire models were randomly mixed with an anonymous sample of 115 UCLP cases from other cleft centers in the U.K. The dental arch relationships of the 10-year-old models were assessed by applying the Goslon Yardstick. RESULTS: One-third of the West Yorkshire cleft sample were rated as belonging to Goslon group 2 (good result), another third to group 3 (fair result), and the remaining third to groups 4 and 5 (poor/very poor result). Numerically, the results were of a slightly higher standard than that previously published for other U.K. and European cleft centers but were inferior to the treatment outcome of two European centers. No statistically significant differences were found between the outcome results of the West Yorkshire group and the other cleft centers. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide useful baseline data against which progress in achieving improved treatment outcome for West Yorkshire UCLP children can be determined by future research.     

Assessment of dental arch relationships in Japanese patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluation of the dental arch relationships of Japanese patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) from the orthodontic clinic of the University of Tokyo Hospital (UTH) compared with patients treated by the Oslo Cleft Team, Norway. DESIGN: Retrospective study and comparison with previous reports. MATERIALS: Dental models of 24 patients with UCLP in UTH taken before orthodontic treatment and before alveolar bone grafting were included. Surgeons in many hospitals performed primary surgeries. These models were matched for age and gender with 24 models from a consecutive series of patients treated by the Oslo Cleft Team as part of the Eurocran Good Practice Archive. A total of 48 models were evaluated. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Dental arch relationship was rated with the Goslon Yardstick. The strength of agreement of rating was assessed with weighted kappa statistics. RESULTS: Intra- and interexaminer agreements evaluated by weighted kappa statistics were high, indicating good reproducibility. Almost 60% of the patients in UTH were classified into poor or very poor categories, and the mean Goslon score was 3.50. These results show a contrast to those in Oslo and were the poorest in comparison with previous reports. CONCLUSION: Dental arch relationships in patients with UCLP in UTH were poor. This seemed to be attributable to surgical procedures, but a factor of racial difference in the craniofacial morphology was also considered. Further intercenter research is required to clarify this point.     

Photographs of study casts: an alternative medium for rating dental arch relationships in unilateral cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the reliability of using photographs of study casts as an alternative to casts for rating dental arch relationships. DESIGN: Repeated-measures study. SETTING: Cleft Palate Center of the University Medical Center Nijmegen, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. PATIENTS: Records of children with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) (n = 49) at the age of 9 years were included. MEAN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Statistics of intra- and interexaminer agreement. RESULTS: No significant differences were found between the rating of dental casts and photographs of dental casts, using the Goslon Yardstick. CONCLUSIONS: Photographs of dental casts provide a consistent, reproducible method for rating dental arch relationships in patients with UCLP at the age of 9 years and provide a reliable alternative to the application of the Goslon Yardstick on dental casts.     

The Slavcleft: A three-center study of the outcome of treatment of cleft lip and palate. Part 2: Dental arch relationships

PurposeOur aim was to evaluate the dental arch relationship in a preadolescent Slavic population with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) by using the Goslon Yardstick.Materials and methodsPatients treated in Warsaw, Poland (n = 32), Prague, Czech Republic (n = 33) and Bratislava, Slovakia (n = 30) were included in this retrospective study. Each cleft center used a unique surgical protocol. Three raters scored blindly the dental arch relationship on plaster models. Intra- and inter-rater agreement were assessed with kappa statistics, and differences between the groups were evaluated with one-way analysis of variance. Intra-rater agreement was very good (k > 0.825), while inter-rater agreement was either good or very good (kappa >0.703).ResultsWe found that patients treated in Warsaw showed a more favorable dental arch relationship (Goslon score = 2.58, SD = 0.77) than patients treated in Prague (Goslon score = 3.21, SD = 1.04). Patients treated in Bratislava showed an intermediate Goslon score (3.07; SD = 0.99).ConclusionThis study showed that the dental arch relationships in patients treated in Warsaw with a one-stage repair were more favorable than in patients treated in Prague and Bratislava with a two-stage protocol and comparable to the best results obtained in the Eurocleft and Americleft studies.     

Dental arch relationships after two-flap palatoplasty in Taiwanese patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate

The authors evaluated the dental arch relationships of patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate treated with two-flap palatoplasty at the Chang Gung Craniofacial Center, Taipei, Taiwan, and compared them with the 6 centers from the Eurocleft study. Intraoral dental photographs of 60 consecutively treated Taiwanese patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate were used. The dental arch relationships were rated with the Goslon yardstick and compared with the Goslon outcome of the 6 center Eurocleft study. The strength of agreement of rating was assessed with quadratic-weighted kappa statistics. Inter- and intra-examiner agreements were high. 75% of patients were classified into poor or very poor categories, and the mean Goslon score was 3.92. These results showed no significant difference with Eurocleft center D, which had relatively poor treatment outcome. These data suggest that intraoral dental photographs provide a reliable method for rating dental arch relationships. Dental arch relationships in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate at Chang Gung Craniofacial Center were unfavorable. This seemed to be attributable to the surgical procedures and racial differences in craniofacial morphology.     

单侧完全性唇腭裂上下牙弓关系评价研究

目的　评价单侧完全性唇腭裂（UCLP）患者上、下颌牙弓关系的协调性,并与亚洲和欧洲几大著名唇腭裂治疗中心的研究结果进行比较,为唇腭裂继发牙牙合畸形的诊断、矫治设计和序列治疗提供依据。方法　回顾性分析2013年3月至2014年3月于青岛大学附属医院口腔正畸科就诊的52例UCLP患者治疗前的记存模型,按照Goslon Yardstick 评价系统和Eurocleft三分类法进行牙弓协调性评价。与中国台湾长庚医院、日本东京大学医院及欧洲6所唇腭裂治疗中心（A～F）的同类研究结果相比较,并进行统计学分析。结果　本中心UCLP患者Goslon Yardstick平均等级为3.75 ± 0.93,Goslon Yardstick等级为4的患者最多,占36.5%,59.6%患者属于差及较差的等级。与台湾长庚医院、东京大学医院及欧洲唇腭裂D治疗中心的结果相接近（P＞0.05）,比其他5所欧洲唇腭裂治疗中心患者的牙弓协调性差（P＜0.05）。结论　UCLP患者上、下牙弓协调性差。青岛大学附属医院接受正畸治疗的UCLP患者,上下牙弓协调性与台湾长庚医院、东京大学医院、欧洲唇腭裂D治疗中心接近,比其他5所欧洲唇腭裂治疗中心牙弓协调性差。     

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??Objective    To evaluate the dental arch relationship of patients with unilateral complete cleft lip palate??UCLP??by comparing them with previous study and to provide theoretical basis on diagnosis??treatment plan design and team approach for patients with UCLP. Methods??Totally 52 UCLP patients treated in the Department of Orthodontics in the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University during March 2013 to March 2014 were selected. The dental models of UCLP patients were categorized using Great Ormond Street??London and Oslo Yardstick??Goslon Yardstick??index. Compare the results with the Goslon Yardstick scores of Chang Gung Craniofacial Center??Hospital of Tokyo University and 6 Eurocleft centers reported in previous studies and make statistical analysis. Results??Mean Goslon Yardstick score of UCLP treated in Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University was 3.75±0.93??36.5% patients had a Goslon Score of 4??and 59.6% patients were classified into poor and very poor categories. The results of our center showed significant differences from those of Eurocleft centers A??B??C??E and F??P < 0.05????but did not differ significantly from those of Eurocleft center D??Chang Gung center or Hospital of Tokyo University??P > 0.05??. Conclusion??Dental arch relationship in patients with UCLP in the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University is poor??which is similar to that in Chang Gung Craniofacial Center??Hospital of Tokyo University and Eurocleft center D??but is poorer than the other fove Eurocleft centers.     

Palate height: another indicator of surgical outcome in unilateral cleft lip and palate?

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether palate height and maxillary arch depth are systematically related to the surgical center at which primary repair in unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) was carried out. DESIGN: A retrospective comparison based on study casts of consecutive cases of UCLP obtained at age 9 years from six different centers. The observer who conducted measurements was blinded to the source of individual records. SETTING: The patients whose records were analyzed received all their surgical care in a national health service setting in six different northern European centers and regions. PATIENTS: Patients were consecutively treated Caucasian children with non-syndromic complete UCLP born in the period 1976 to 1979. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The main outcome measures for the original study were craniofacial form, dental arch relationships, nasolabial appearance, and speech. This report focuses on measurements of anterior maxillary arch depth and palate height. Results: Anterior arch depth and anterior palate height showed some variation among the centers. There was a tendency for anterior arch depth and palate height to also be reduced at centers at which patients showed unfavorable dental arch relationships. CONCLUSIONS: Anterior arch depth and palate height might be considered in future studies of surgical outcome and in their possible relationship to problems of articulation.     

腭裂修复术对不同年龄患者上下颌牙弓关系影响的研究

目的 通过回顾性研究探讨接受腭裂修复术的年龄对患者上颌牙弓相对于下颌牙弓位置关系的影响. 方法 年龄>10岁、腭裂术后2年以上的单侧完全性唇腭裂患者103例,根据接受腭裂修复手术时的年龄分为3组,A组:≤3.0岁手术组(n=38)、B组:≤6.0岁手术组(n=36)和C组:>6.0岁手术组(n=29).用上下颌牙弓石膏模型,对其牙弓关系行Goslon Yardstick等级评价,并对不同手术年龄组间的Yardstick等级进行统计学检验. 结果 统计学检验显示Yardstick等级在A组与B组间差异无统计学意义(P>0.05),A组与C组间差异有统计学意义(P<0.05),B组与C组间差异无统计学意义(P>0.05). 结论 6.0岁以下行腭裂手术的两组患者的上颌牙弓相对于下颌牙弓的后缩程度无差异,6.0岁以上行腭裂手术患者的上颌牙弓相对后缩程度要明显小于3.0岁以下手术者,稍小于6.0岁以下手术者,上颌牙弓相对后缩程度随手术年龄的增大有减小的趋势.     

The basis for presurgical orthopedic treatment of infants with unilateral complete cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe the posttreatment morphology of the upper part of the oral cavity of complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) patients and to compare it to noncleft contemporaries. Patients were treated according to a protocol designed to keep a proper resting posture of the oral cavity. DESIGN: Retrospective study on dental casts. SETTING: The study was performed at a maxillofacial center serving a population of 2 million inhabitants. Data for noncleft subjects are the result of a longitudinal study at the same institution. PATIENTS: Twenty-one Caucasian UCLP patients (13 males, 8 females) aged 5 to 9 years with no other congenital anomalies and no postoperative orthodontic treatment. INTERVENTIONS: Each patient received 5 to 6 months of preoperative orthopedics with a passive plate and external nonelastic strapping with definitive lip repair at age 5 to 7 months, soft palate repair at 11 to 15 months, and hard palate repair with mucoperiosteal closure of the alveolus at 30 to 36 months. Each patient was compared to the mean values obtained from a longitudinal study of a group of 25 healthy noncleft children of the same ethnic group (11 males, 14 females). RESULTS: Analysis of dental casts indicated that 16 patients had a width, depth, and length of the alveolar arch in the range of the mean normal values minus two standard deviations. Their analyzed palates were flatter than normal. Six of 21 children had too small an alveolar arch for their ages, and they did not acquire a correct posture of the oral cavity. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the upper part of the oral cavity of UCLP patients can reach the dimensions of noncleft contemporaries despite surgery.     

Three-dimensional morphology of the palate in subjects with unilateral complete cleft lip and palate at the stage of permanent dentition.

OBJECTIVE: Three-dimensional analysis of palate size and shape in patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) at the stage of permanent dentition. SUBJECTS: Thirty randomly selected dental casts of boys approximately 15 years old with complete UCLP and 28 dental casts of normal boys of the same age. INTERVENTIONS: All patients underwent lip repair according to Tennison with primary periosteoplasty (mean age 8.5 months) and palate repair by pushback and pharyngeal flap surgery (mean age 4.9 years). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Data on the palate height in 210 defined locations. RESULTS: The palate in patients with UCLP was narrower throughout its whole extent, more anteriorly than posteriorly. From the canines posteriorly, it was also lower, and the difference as compared with controls increased in a posterior direction up to the level of second premolars (up to 30%) and then slightly diminished (to 21% between the first molars). The reduction of area of transverse sections reached 45% between premolars and 39% between first molars. The palate in the anterior portion was highest on the cleft side and in a posterior direction the maximum height of the palate shifted toward the midline and even beyond that line toward the noncleft side. Palatal height did not depend on dentoalveolar arch width. CONCLUSION: The smaller width and height of the palate confirm the substantially reduced space for the tongue in patients with UCLP. The reduction is only slightly larger than in previously examined patients with isolated cleft palate. Palatal vault is asymmetrical, highest anteriorly on the cleft side and posteriorly on the noncleft side.     

A cephalometric intercentre comparison of patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate at 5 and 10 years of age

The aim of this study was to evaluate any differences between the craniofacial growth of unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) patients who underwent surgery in the Milan CLP centre with those from the Oslo CLP centre at 5 and 10 years of age. The Milan sample comprised 88 UCLP patients (60 males, 28 females) at 5 years of age and 26 patients (17 males, 9 females) at 10 years of age all operated on by the same surgeon. The Oslo sample consisted of 48 UCLP patients (26 males, 22 females) aged 5 years and 29 patients (20 males, 9 females) aged 10 years treated by four different surgeons. Lateral cephalometric radiographs obtained for both samples were analysed and angular measurements and ratios were calculated both for the hard and soft tissues. Statistical analysis was undertaken with an unpaired t-test. At 5 years of age, there were neither sagittal nor vertical hard tissue differences between the two groups. With regard to the soft tissues, only the naso-labial angle showed a statistically significant difference (Milan greater than Oslo by 5 degrees, P < 0.01). At 10 years of age, both SNA and ANB differences were larger in the Oslo group than in the Milan group, >2.6 degrees, P < 0.01 and >2.9 degrees, P < 0.001, respectively. At 5 years of age, the Milan UCLP sample had the same maxillary protrusion as the Oslo group, while at 10 years of age, the Milan sample were slightly less protruded than the Oslo group.     

Complete unilateral cleft lip and palate: validity of the five-year index and the Goslon yardstick in predicting long-term dental arch relationships.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the validity of the 5-year index by subjecting study models at the age of 5 years to both the 5-year index and the Goslon yardstick, and then relating these results to the Goslon ratings at 10 years. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Gothenburg, Sweden. PATIENTS: Study models of 94 patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) were evaluated at the ages of 5 and 10 years. The dental arch relationships were judged and categorized by using the Goslon yardstick for the 10-year models and both the Goslon yardstick and the 5-year index for the 5-year models. RESULTS: When used for 5- and 10-year models, the Goslon yardstick showed a kappa score of 0.539 (weighted kappa = 0.579) with a moderate strength of agreement. However, 5-year index scores at 5 years compared with the Goslon scores at 10 years showed a kappa score of only 0.043 (weighted kappa = 0.090), showing poor strength of agreement. Goslon scores at 10 years showed improvement in 14 cases when graded by the same Goslon yardstick at 5 years, whereas there was improvement in 23 cases when the 5-year models were graded by the 5-year index (actual improvement in scores in UCLP cases is highly unlikely). CONCLUSIONS: Although use of the Goslon yardstick at 5 years has demonstrated some inherent flaws in its use at that age, these drawbacks are fewer than those when the 5-year index is used at 5 years of age.     

Predictors of poor dental arch relationship in young children with unilateral cleft lip and palate

The aim of this cross-sectional outcome study using retrospective data capture of treatment histories was to examine the characteristics of young children with unilateral cleft lip and palate who had poor dental arch relationship (i.e., Goslon 5). The study sample comprised 120 children born with nonsyndromic complete unilateral cleft lip and palate between 1995 and 2003, and were aged between 5.0 and 7.0 years (mean age, 5.1 years) at the time of data collection. The dental arch relationship was assessed using the Goslon yardstick from intraoral dental photographs. An independent investigator recorded treatment histories from the clinical notes. The inter- and intraexaminer agreements evaluated by weighted kappa statistics were high. There was no association between dental arch relationship and the type of presurgical orthopedics or pharyngeal flap. Dental arch relationship was associated with the initial cleft size (odds ratio, OR = 1.3; 95% confidence interval, CI = 1.1-1.5, p < 0.01), surgeon grade for palate repair (OR = 5.0, 95% CI = 1.2-19.9, p < 0.05), and primary gingivoperiosteoplasty (OR = 2.8, 95% CI = 1.0-8.1, p = 0.05). These data suggest that intraoral dental photographs provide a reliable method for rating dental arch relationship. Wide initial cleft, high-volume surgeon, and primary gingivoperiosteoplasty are predictors of poor dental arch relationship outcome in young children with unilateral cleft lip and palate. These findings may improve treatment outcome by modifying the treatment protocol for patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate.     

单侧完全性唇腭裂术后牙弓问横向关系的不调及正畸矫治后变化的探讨

目的 探讨单侧完全性唇腭裂术后患者上下颌牙弓间横向关系以及正畸治疗对上颌牙弓的影响。方法 对84名单侧完全性唇腭裂术后患者的错(牙合)畸形和上下颌颌间关系进行研究;并对36名唇腭裂术后患者进行正畸治疗前后的牙(牙合)模型进行测量分析上颌牙弓宽度的变化。结果 (1)单侧完全性唇腭裂术后60.7％的患者出现牙弓间横向关系的不协调,双尖牙区较易受累。(2)在出现牙弓间横向关系不调的患者中,双侧后牙反(牙合)者为60％。(3)正畸治疗后上颌牙弓的尖牙、第一、第二双尖牙间各自的宽度均有显著增加,第一磨牙间宽度变化不显著。上颌第一、第二双尖牙间各自宽度较尖牙间、第一磨牙间宽度增加显著。结论 单侧完全性唇腭裂术后患者上颌宽度的发育受到明显的限制,牙弓间横向关系不协调的比率较高,以双尖牙区为主;正畸矫治扩弓的重点应在双尖牙区。     

The influence of early orthodontic treatment on the growth of craniofacial complex in deciduous occlusion of unilateral cleft lip and palate patients

This study evaluates dental occlusion and dental arch parameters of 5-6 year old children with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) treated and untreated orthodonticly before lip plastic with noncleft children. The aim of the study was to verify whether early orthodontic treatment improves deciduous dental arch relationship of children with unilateral cleft lip and palate.135 casts of 5-6 year old children from Riga and Vilnius were evaluated. 90 casts from children with UCLP (45 - got early orthodontic treatment, 45 - without early orthodontic treatment) and 45 casts from noncleft children. All patients with UCLP had surgically closed lip and palate; five-Year-Olds, Index was used to assess dental arch relationship of UCLP patients. Measurements of dental arch length, canine and molar arch width was taken similar to Bland and Altman method. Statistical analysis: the difference of the mean values was tested using t-test between and within groups: UCLP-1 (without early orthodontics), UCLP-2 (treated orthodonticaly before lip plastic) and control group - noncleft children). Measurements were performed by two calibrated orthodontists, mean error was calculated according to the Dalberg method. Measurement error was less than 1 mm. Measurements showed that the occlusion parameters and transverse distance between deciduous molars of UCLP-1 group differed from the occlusion of UCLP-2. Children who had got early orthodontics showed better growth of the maxillae. More cases with positive overjet and meziodistal or distal deciduous molar relationship had treated with early orthodontics. Maxillary width between deciduous molars was statistically significant wider in children with UCLP who had early orthodontic treatment comparing with untreated children. Growth of mandible was not inhibited and did not differ treated and untreated children with UCLP and control group.     

A six-center international study of treatment outcome in patients with clefts of the lip and palate: Part 3. Dental arch relationships.

One hundred and forty-nine dental casts of subjects with complete unilateral clefts of the lip and palate from six European cleft palate centers were assessed by means of the Goslon Yardstick. The Yardstick proved capable of discriminating between the quality of the dental arch relationships between the six centers. Two centers showed especially poor results. Three centers obtained satisfactory results although differing surgical techniques were used in these centers. One of the centers showing satisfactory dental arch relationships employed a more complex and expensive treatment program than the other two centers, which both used simpler centralized treatment regimens.     

The effects of palatoplasty and pre-surgical infant orthopedic treatment on occlusion in unilateral cleft lip and palate patients

PurposeThe aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of pre-surgical infant orthopedic treatment (Hotz plate) and type of palatoplasty on the dental arch relationship and the dental arch morphology of unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) patients.Materials and methodsSeventy-four children with UCLP were divided into three groups. One group had undergone one-stage palatoplasty without Hotz plate (OSP w/o H), the second had undergone one-stage palatoplasty with Hotz plate (OSP w/H), and the third had undergone two-stage palatoplasty with Hotz plate (TSP w/H). We evaluated the dental models which were taken during initial examination at our orthodontic clinic, using the Goslon Yardstick, the 5-year-old index, and dental model analysis.ResultsRegarding both indices, there were no significant differences among the three groups. However, the dental arch width between maxillary deciduous canines in OSP w/H and TSP w/H was significantly greater than that of OSP w/o H. The dental arch width at the maxillary deciduous second molars in TSP w/H was significantly greater than in OSP w/H and OSP w/o H.ConclusionDental arch relationship in UCLP patients was not influenced by the type of palatoplasty and the use of pre-surgical infant orthopedic treatment. Our results suggest that pre-surgical infant orthopedic treatment results in the increase of anterior dental width, whereas two-stage palatoplasty is significantly effective for increasing posterior dental width in UCLP patients.     

Quality improvement of cleft lip and palate treatment

Improvement of quality of care for children with clefts requires longitudinal assessments of the outcomes of treatment. The aim of this study was to review the teamwork periodically to evaluate the clinical treatment outcome. In this retrospective study, the outcome of the dental arch relationship was studied using a Goslon yardstick between two cohorts of complete unilateral cleft lip and palate patients. Consecutive series of 9-year-old patients (27 boys, 20 girls) born in 1983- 1984 and 1992-1993 from two cleft centers were compared. All the patients were treated according to the same protocol. The results show no statistically significant difference between the cohorts of 1980s and 1990s (P = .170). The treatment results of center A as measured in this study are better than those of center R (P = .003). A possible explanation for this difference in performance can be the fact that the number of surgeons involved in the care in the center R is higher than that in A.