Comparison of Peri-Oral and Masticatory Muscle Activity between Repaired Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate and Non-Cleft Individuals - A Systematic Review.

Surgical intervention in patients with repaired unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) leads to altered muscular activity and hinders the normal growth of the maxilla. To compare the activity of superior orbicularis oris and masticatory muscles between repaired unilateral cleft lip and palate and non-cleft individuals. A literature search was carried out on MEDLINE/PubMed, Cochrane Library, Science Direct, Semantic Scholar, and Google Scholar databases upto January 2024 resulting in 1320 studies. Specified inclusion/exclusion criteria guided the selection of five relevant articles. Study selection, assessment of the outcome of articles, and subsequent Risk of Bias (RoB) assessment were done independently by three authors. In case of any disparity, the fourth and fifth authors were consulted. All five studies were observational cross-sectional studies. The majority of the studies reported an altered muscular activity in repaired UCLP patients compared to normal individuals, which may affect the normal growth of the maxilla. Patients with repaired UCLP show an increased muscle activity compared to non-cleft subjects, which may lead to altered masticatory efficiency in such patients.