A cephalometric inter-centre comparison of growth in children with cleft lip and palate.

AIM: To examine whether the treatment provided by the Mount Vernon Cleft Team produces craniofacial growth outcomes comparable with that of the Oslo Team.

LOCATION: Mount Vernon Hospital, Middlesex, UK.

DESIGN

A retrospective cephalometric investigation.

SUBJECTS: Seventy-five Mount Vernon children and 150 Oslo children with complete unilateral or bilateral clefts of the lip and palate

METHOD: The subjects were matched for age, gender, and cleft type, and their radiographs were digitized. The radiographs from each site were grouped according to patient age (9-11 or 14-16) and cleft classification (bilateral/unilateral). Patients with associated craniofacial anomalies were excluded from the study.

RESULTS

Of the four variables studied (SNA, SNPg, NGn, sNANsPG) significant differences in maxillary growth were noted for bilateral and unilateral cleft groups at 14-16 years of age. The soft tissue profile was significantly flatter in bilateral and unilateral Mount Vernon cases at 14-16 years. The craniofacial growth exhibited by the Mount Vernon patients demonstrated 3.9-5.1 degrees reduction in maxillary prominence with respect to the Oslo sample. The bilateral cases from Mount Vernon had greater anterior face heights at 14-16 years.

CONCLUSION

The treatment provided by the Mount Vernon Cleft team leads to a reduced maxillary prominence in children aged 14-16 years compared with the Oslo sample. This reduction is statistically significant in unilateral cleft lip and palate.