Longitudinal study on three-dimensional changes of facial asymmetry in children between 4 to 12 years of age with unilateral cleft lip and palate.

The purpose of the present study was to describe three-dimensional developmental changes of facial asymmetry in children with an operated complete unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) and in children without craniofacial anomalies (controls). Using stereophotogrammetry, three-dimensional coordinates for 16 bilateral and 10 midsagittal facial landmarks were determined for the UCLP group (n = 33) and the control group (n = 63) on two occasions. In this mixed-longitudinal study, the children were 4 to 12 years of age. Facial asymmetry and left-right dominance was measured and resolved for transverse, vertical, and sagittal components. Significant effects were analyzed with multivariate analyses of variance (MANOVA). We concluded that individuals with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate, as well as individuals without craniofacial anomalies, show an increase, during growth, in the amount of facial asymmetry in the basal region of the nose. In the region that is related to the cleft, children with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate do not show changes in the amount of facial asymmetry between the occasions. Regarding facial left-right dominance and variation in dominance, no demonstrable growth changes take place in individuals with complete cleft lip and palate, nor in individuals without craniofacial anomalies.