title: Maxillary and mandibular dental-arch dimensions and occlusion in bilateral cleft lip and palate patients form 3 to 17 years of age.
abstract: The aim of this study was to describe maxillary and mandibular dental-arch form and occlusion in bilateral cleft of the lip and palate (BCLP) from 3 to 17 years of age and to compare their characteristics with a normative sample. A sample of 22 patients with BCLP was investigated, with a noncleft control sample used for comparison. Dental-arch dimensions were studied on dental casts. A comparison between both groups was made at fixed time intervals. From 9 years of age, the cleft sample showed a significantly smaller maxillary depth. Maxillary dental-arch widths were also significantly smaller than in the control group over the whole age period. Mandibular dental-arch measurements were very similar in both groups, although smaller first-molar widths were noted in the BCLP group beginning at 12 years of age. A tendency for end-to-end occlusion was found, which became more clear with age and was most markedly in the canine region.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics, University Hospital of Leuven, Belgium.
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Heidbuchel
authors.forename: A M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kuijpers-Jagtman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000375:Aging / Q000473:pathology*; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D003481:Cuspid; D003724:Dental Arch / Q000473:pathology*; D003766:Dental Occlusion; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000145:classification / Q000473:pathology; D008334:Mandible / Q000473:pathology*; D008437:Maxilla / Q000473:pathology*; D003765:Models, Dental; D008963:Molar