Palatal asymmetry in cleft palate subjects.

In subjects with different types of cleft palate, palatal shape and symmetry were evaluated utilizing the moiré contourography technique. The sample consisted of 95 subjects with cleft palate and 68 controls. The differences between cleft and control subjects in the transverse and anteroposterior location of the highest point of the palate, palatal axis angle, and the palatal index were assessed by analysis of variance. Effects of cleft type, gender, developmental stage of the dentition, missing teeth, and eight skeletal and pharyngeal cephalometric variables on palatal shape and symmetry were assessed using multiple-regression analyses. In comparison with the noncleft individuals, the cleft palate subjects showed parallel but clearly more remarkable asymmetry in palatal shape and position of the first maxillary molars. The anteroposterior location of the deepest point in the palate was more posterior, and the palate was relatively shallower. The severity of the cleft type affected both the anteroposterior and transverse position of the highest point in palatal morphology.