Abstract
Development of the maxillary dental arch after cleft lip repair using buccal mucous flap method was examined from a plaster model based on three-dimensional computer analysis. The sample contained 22 cases of unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) at 3 months of age before the lip repair operation, 22 cases of UCLP at 1 year before palatoplasty, 20 cases of UCLP at 4 years after palatoplasty, and 10 cases of cleft palate (CP) at 3 months, 1 year and 4 years. UCLP and CP were evaluated by the following provisions : 1) width and length of the dental arch, 2) angle of the dental arch from the palate and height of the dental arch of a transverse section, 3) classification of longitudinal growth of the dental arch. The result were as follows : 1) The molding action and growth of the maxillary dental arch was shown after lip repair operation at 1 year of age. 2) A high degree of medial collapse of the maxillary dental arch was seen in 30 percent of UCLP at 4 years after palatoplasty. 3) Remarkable narrowing of the angle of the dental arch was noted in UCLP as much as in CP. Scar contracture at the hard palate was suspected to cause a high degree of medial collapse, and mucous flap might not affect the maxillary dental arch at 4 years.
