von Langenbeck procedures at 14 months or Wardill at 18 months for primary repair of cleft palate in adult Swedish patients with bilateral complete cleft lip and palate: A study of facial growth.

We compared facial growth in patients with bilateral complete cleft lip and palate (BCLP) in whom the palate had been repaired by the von Langenbeck procedure at the age of 14 months (L-14), or by the Wardill procedure at 18 months (W-18). A total of 151 unaffected subjects were used as a reference group. Thirty-six adult patients, 26 in the L-14 group, and 10 in the W-18 group, were investigated clinically and with lateral skull radiography, and they also filled out a questionnaire about their dental condition. Multiple linear regression was used to analyse the effect of surgical strategy, sex, and the presence of a velopharyngeal flap on several dependent variables indicating sagittal and vertical jaw relations, and inclination of incisors. The BCLP group was characterised by a pre-normal basal relation (ss-n-sm), retroclined upper (ILs/NL) and lower (ILi/ML) incisors, maxillary retrognathism (s-n-ss) in men, larger maxillary plane angle (NSL/NL) in women, larger mandibular plane (NSL/ML) and intermaxillary vertical relation (NL/ML) in men, and smaller anterior facial height (n-gn) and upper anterior facial height (n-sp). In the BCLP group, differences in outcomes could be explained only by sex. The sagittal jaw base relation (ss-n-sm) was significantly smaller in men than in women, whereas the total anterior facial height (n-gn) was greater in men. Lateral crossbite was found in about 75% of patients. About 70% were satisfied with their dental condition. The choice of surgical strategy had no significant influence on the variables measured on facial morphology.