Abstract
For patients with cleft lip and palate, we take maxillary plaster models prior to performing cheiloplasty at age 3 months and palatoplasty at age 1 year at our institute. We evaluated the posterior width of the alveolar cleft margin to ascertain the effect of closure of the anterior hard palate upon performing cheiloplasty. The subjects were 27 patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate whose appropriate maxillary plaster models were taken before cheiloplasty and palatoplasty. The patients were divided into 2 groups. The control group comprised 19 patients whose anterior hard palates were not closed. The comparison group comprised 8 patients whose anterior hard palates were closed by using a vomer flap. We measured the following: 1) the longer diameter of the entire alveolar arch, 2) the anterior, 3) medial, and 4) posterior width of the alveolar arch, 5) the posterior width of the alveolar cleft margin. There was no significant difference in these measurements between the two groups. The data indicated that closure of the anterior hard palate did not significantly disturb growth of the maxillary alveolar arch. We expected narrowing of the posterior width of the alveolar cleft margin by closing the anterior hard palate, but such a result was not obtained. However, closure of the anterior hard palate was easier when cheiloplasty was performed, rather than palatoplasty. It seemed that there would be significance in the partial closure of the anterior hard palate at the time of primary repair.
