An investigation of the dentition of parents of children with cleft lip and palate.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this investigation was to identify whether any dental features in parents of children with cleft lip and palate can be useful as predictors of clefting.


METHODS
The dentition of 28 pairs of parents of children with complete unilateral (17) and bilateral (11) cleft lip and palate and 21 pairs of parents of noncleft children were evaluated. Clinical and radiographic examinations were carried out to identify abnormalities of tooth number and morphology. Study cast assessment was undertaken to evaluate incisor relationship, overjet, overbite, intercanine widths, and mesiodistal widths of individual teeth, and these data were subjected to statistical analysis.


RESULTS
The prevalence of abnormalities of tooth number in parents of cleft children was similar to those reported elsewhere for general populations. In parents of children with unilateral clefts, there was no tooth-size asymmetry between teeth on the side corresponding to the child's cleft and noncleft sides, respectively. No differences were found in tooth widths and intercanine widths between parents of children with unilateral clefts and parents of children with bilateral clefts. The incisor relationship, overjet, overbite, and intercanine widths were found not to differ statistically between the parents of cleft children and parents of noncleft children.


CONCLUSIONS
No predictors of clefting could be identified in the dentition of parents of children with cleft lip and palate.
Mount Vernon and the Eastman Dental Hospital, London, England.
S
S
Haria
J H
JH
Noar
R
R
Sanders
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002508:Cephalometry; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002648:Child; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000235:genetics*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000235:genetics*; D003481:Cuspid / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D003724:Dental Arch / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D003766:Dental Occlusion; D003817:Dentition; D005260:Female; D005544:Forecasting; D006801:Humans; D007180:Incisor / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D008297:Male; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000145:classification; D008875:Middle Aged; D009811:Odontometry; D010290:Parents; D015995:Prevalence; D011859:Radiography; D014071:Tooth Abnormalities / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging