Prosthetic dentistry and the unilateral cleft lip and palate patient. The last 30 years. A review of the prosthodontic literature in respect of treatment options.
All cleft lip and palate patients are unique and present with their own diagnostic and prosthodontic problems. Many patients have benefited, recently, from alveolar bone grafting and orthodontic realignment and require little or no prosthodontic treatment. Some treatment, however, has been planned with a prosthesis as the final restoration, as a sizeable number of such patients have not undergone the alveolar graft procedure, (or this has been unsuccessful), or they were deemed to be unsuitable because of the extent of their defect. The patients who have not received grafting and orthodontic realignment are therefore the patients who present the greatest prosthodontic challenge. This paper presents an overview of the work that has been carried out over the last thirty years in relation to the prosthodontic rehabilitation of the cleft lip and palate patient. It is clear that multidisciplinary treatment planning by surgeons, orthodontists and restorative dentists is required for the long-term benefit of this small but challenging group of patients.
Moore
Derek
D
Department of Prosthodontics, University of Manchester Dental Hospital, UK.
McCord
J Fraser
JF
D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000534:rehabilitation; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D017266:Dental Prosthesis; D019094:Dental Prosthesis, Implant-Supported; D003828:Denture, Overlay; D003830:Denture, Partial, Fixed; D003832:Denture, Partial, Removable; D006801:Humans; D010348:Patient Care Team; D014087:Tooth Movement Techniques