Dental arch relationship outcomes in children with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate treated at Princess Margaret Hospital for Children, Perth, Western Australia.

OBJECTIVES

To (1) audit dental arch relationships of all children born between 1982 and 1999 with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) treated at the Cleft Lip and Palate Unit, Princess Margaret Hospital for Children (PMH), Perth, Western Australia, (2) assess the distribution of GOSLON ratings from dental casts taken at 9 years, (3) compare the 9-year GOSLON ratings for "High" and "Low" caseload surgeons, and (4) compare the 9-year PMH GOSLON ratings with published ratings from other units.

DESIGN

Retrospective audit of dental casts and medical charts.

PATIENTS: Dental casts were retrieved for 71 children (47 boys and 24 girls) at 9 years of age.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: GOSLON ratings.

RESULTS

Sixty-eight percent of patients had an excellent to satisfactory dental arch relationship (GOSLON Yardstick ratings 1 to 3) at 9 years with a mean rating of 2.85. High caseload surgeons achieved statistically better mean GOSLON ratings than low caseload surgeons (2.72 and 3.33, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

PMH Cleft Unit's dental arch relationship outcomes are comparable to published series of units using similar treatment protocols. High caseload surgeons achieved better dental arch relationships than low caseload surgeons.