RELATION BETWEEN THE WIDTH OF THE ALVEOLAR CLEFT AND GROWTH CHANGES IN THE MAXILLARY DENTAL ARCH IN CHILDREN WITH BILATERAL CLEFT LIP AND PALATE

Abstract

One of many factors involved in determining the prognosis of surgery on cleft palate is the severity of the original alveolar cleft. We compared the relationship between the width of the alveolar cleft and growth changes in the maxillary dental arch in children with bilateral cleft lip and palate using a maxillary dental cast. The subjects were 10 patients treated for bilateral cleft lip and palate from whom an appropriate maxillary dental cast taken before palatoplasty and the deciduous dentition period. The patients were divided into two groups and subsequently compared. One group (group A) was comprised of five patients, each with a total bilateral alveolar cleft width of 10 mm or less. The other group (group B) was comprised of five patients, each with a total cleft width of more than 10 mm. Before palatoplasty, group B showed significantly lower anterior alveolar widths than group A, but no obvious differences were observed for the posterior alveolar width, anteroposterior diameter, and anterior anteroposterior diameter. In the deciduous dentition period, no clear differences in any of these parameters were found between the two groups. The present study indicated that the width of the alveolar cleft has little effect on growth changes in the maxillary arch.