Maxillary anterior tooth size and arch dimensions in unilateral cleft lip and palate.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate differences in size of the maxillary permanent anterior teeth and arch dimensions between individuals with repaired unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) and a matched control group representing the general population.

DESIGN

Retrospective study cast review.

PARTICIPANTS

Study casts of 30 subjects due to commence orthodontic treatment following an alveolar bone graft (ABG) were collected from the Cleft Lip and Palate Units in South Yorkshire. Thirty control subjects were collected from a previously validated control group of white individuals in South Yorkshire.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Casts were analyzed with an image analysis system to measure the dimensions of the maxillary permanent anterior teeth, incisor chord lengths, and the intercanine and intermolar widths. The results were analyzed statistically using paired t-tests and two-way univariate analysis of variance (ANOVA).

RESULTS

The mesiodistal widths of maxillary anterior teeth in the study group were smaller than the noncleft control group (p <or= .01). The dimensions of the cleft side maxillary incisors and incisor chord length were smaller (p <or= .05 and p <or= .01 respectively) compared with the noncleft side. The study group maxillary cleft side incisor chord length and maxillary intercanine width were narrower than the control group (p <or= .0001).

CONCLUSIONS

(1) Anterior teeth are smaller mesiodistally in individuals with UCLP. (2) Maxillary incisors are smaller on the cleft side than the noncleft side. (3) UCLP subjects had smaller maxillary cleft side incisor chord lengths and intercanine widths than the control group despite pre-ABG expansion.