A comparative study on dental-arch morphology in adult unoperated and operated cleft palate patients.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effects of cleft itself and palatoplasty on the development of dental-arch morphology.


METHODS
Computed tomography scanning and imaging system for dental cast measurement were applied to statistically analyze the differences in dental-arch form among 30 adults with normal occlusion, 30 adult patients with operated unilateral complete cleft palate, and 30 adults with unoperated cleft palate.


RESULTS
All maxillary arch widths and anterior arch length of the operated group are significantly smaller than those of the unoperated group (P < 0.01). In the unoperated group, the maxillary anterior arch width and maxillary and mandibular arch length are significantly smaller, whereas both maxillary and mandibular posterior arch widths are significantly larger as compared with the control group (P < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
The influence of cleft palate on the development of maxillary arch is limited to the vicinity of the cleft in the anterior region only. Palatoplasty is the main cause resulting in the constriction of maxillary arch, while inhibiting the sagittal development of the anterior arch.
Ye
Bin
B
Maxillofacial Department, West China College of Stomatology, daggerNeurosurgery Department, Sichuan University, Sichuan, China.
Ruan
Changhu
C
Hu
Jing
J
Yang
Yunqiang
Y
Ghosh
Abhijit
A
Jana
Sangeeta
S
Zhang
Guozhi
G
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D003724:Dental Arch / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008334:Mandible / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology; D008437:Maxilla / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology; D003765:Models, Dental; D009811:Odontometry; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed