Abstract
A statistical survey was carried out on patients with cleft lip and/or palate hospitalized in our department between Apr.1978 and Mar.1993 the following results were obtained.
1. The number of patients having cleft lip and/or palate in the last 15 years was 1,480 (811 males and 669 females). It accounted for 20.9 % of all orthodontic patients, and a ratio of male to female was 1: 0.82.
2. The mean age of patients at the initial visit was 7.6 years (S. D. =4.3). Patients between 5 and 9 years old were the majority, under 4 years old was 31.5 % of all cases.
3. According to the Hellman dental developmental stage before treatment, patients at stage IIIA was 35.9 %, IIIB was 32.1 %, IIA was 5.5 % and TIC was 10.2 %.
4. According to type of cleft, CLP (complete cleft lip and palate) was 71.0 % (UCLP (R) 18.1 %, UCLP (L) 34.8 %, BCLP 18.1 %), CL (cleft lip and/or palate) was 15.5 %, and CP (isolated cleft palate) was 13.5 %.
5. As for appearance of clefted side in UCLP and UCL, a ratio of right to left was 1: 1.9 and 1: 1.7, respectively.
6. More males had CLP more females, but more females had CL and CP.
7. Alveolar arch form of UCLP (Pruzansky and Aduss) was investigated in the deciduous dentition group and mixed in the permanent dentition group. In the deciduous dentition group the overlap type was 23.2 %, butt-joint type was 65.9 %, and free type was 11.0 %, and in the permanent dentition group 23.8 %,67.8 %, and 8.4 % respectively.
8. Type of total crossbite (type ARL) was most frequent (42.3 %), and then type with no crossbite (type N) was 15.0 %. Type ARL was nearly 50 % in CLP and type N was more than 50 % in CL.
9. After introduction of health insurance (1982) and moving Osaka Uniyersity Hospital to the new institution (1983), the number of patients with cleft lip and/or palate and ratio to all orthodontic patients increased.
