title: Severity of alveolar cleft before palatoplasty affects vertical maxillofacial growth in 6-year-old patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In this study, we investigated the association between the severity of alveolar clefts in infants and the succeeding maxillofacial growth in patients affected by complete unilateral cleft lip and palate.
  
  
  METHODS
  The subjects were 35 nonsyndromic patients affected by unilateral cleft lip and palate (n = 27) or bilateral cleft lip and palate (n = 8). Plaster models and lateral cephalograms taken at 6 years of age were analyzed and compared with the Japanese norms. In the unilateral cleft lip and palate patients, the relationship between the width of the alveolar cleft before palatoplasty and the skeletal characteristics was also explored.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant deficiencies of the posterior maxilla and steep palatal planes were noted in both the unilateral and bilateral cleft lip and palate patients. However, they were not clearly observed in the unilateral cleft lip and palate patients born with a small alveolar cleft and were correlated with the severity of alveolar cleft in infancy. Neither cleft type nor the severity of the alveolar cleft was implicated in the maxillary arch form in childhood, but the growth of the alveolar height on the cleft side was less in the unilateral cleft lip and palate patients born with a large alveolar cleft.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The severity of the alveolar cleft before palatoplasty affects the succeeding vertical maxillofacial growth in patients affected by unilateral cleft lip and palate; this suggests the necessity of a different diagnosis and treatment in unilateral cleft lip and palate patients according to the severity of the alveolar cleft in infancy.
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, Graduate School of Oral Sciences, University of Tokushima, Tokushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Yuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tomita
authors.forename: Shingo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kuroda
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Katsura
authors.forename: Teppei
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Keiichiro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: Shinji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fujihara
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tanaka
mesh_terms: D000539:Alveolar Process / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002508:Cephalometry; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002971:Cleft Lip / Q000473:pathology; D002972:Cleft Palate / Q000473:pathology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003724:Dental Arch / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D021621:Imaging, Three-Dimensional; D008297:Male; D008437:Maxilla / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology; D008445:Maxillofacial Development; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D003765:Models, Dental; D021362:Palate, Hard / Q000254:growth & development / Q000473:pathology; D012016:Reference Values; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014716:Vertical Dimension