A longitudinal three-center study of dental arch relationship in patients with bilateral cleft lip and palate.
OBJECTIVE
To compare and evaluate longitudinally the dental arch relationships from 4.5 to 13.5 years of age with the Bauru-BCLP Yardstick in a large sample of patients with bilateral cleft lip and palate (BCLP).


METHODS
Retrospective longitudinal intercenter outcome study.


METHODS
Dental casts of 204 consecutive patients with complete BCLP were evaluated at 6, 9, and 12 years of age. All models were identified only by random identification numbers.


METHODS
Three cleft palate centers with different treatment protocols.


METHODS
Dental arch relationships were categorized with the Bauru-BCLP yardstick. Increments for each interval (from 6 to 9 years, 6 to 12 years, and 9 to 12 years) were analyzed by logistic and linear regression models.


RESULTS
There were no significant differences in outcome measures between the centers at age 12 or at age 9. At age 6, center B showed significantly better results (p=.027), but this difference diminished as the yardstick score for this group increased over time (linear regression analysis), the difference with the reference category (center C, boys) for the intervals 6 to 12 and 9 to 12 years being 10.4% (p=.041) and 12.9% (p=.009), respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
Despite different treatment protocols, dental arch relationships in the three centers were comparable in final scores at age 9 and 12 years. Delaying hard palate closure and employing infant orthopedics did not appear to be advantageous in the long run. Premaxillary osteotomy employed in center B appeared to be associated with less favorable development of the dental arch relationship between 9 and 12 years.
Bartzela
Theodosia
T
Department of Orthodontics and Oral Biology, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Center, Nijmegen, The Netherlands. orthodontics@dent.umcn.nl
Katsaros
Christos
C
Shaw
William C
WC
Rønning
Elisabeth
E
Rizell
Sara
S
Bronkhorst
Ewald
E
Okada
Terumi Ozawa
TO
de S L Pinheiro
Fabio H
FH
Dominguez-Gonzalez
Susana
S
Hagberg
Catharina
C
Semb
Gunvor
G
Kuijpers-Jagtman
Anne Marie
AM
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D003724:Dental Arch / Q000503:physiopathology; D003766:Dental Occlusion; D061827:Dimensional Measurement Accuracy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008310:Malocclusion / Q000150:complications* / Q000628:therapy; D008445:Maxillofacial Development; D003765:Models, Dental; D009426:Netherlands; D009664:Norway; D056948:Orthognathic Surgical Procedures; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013548:Sweden; D016896:Treatment Outcome