Orthodontic management of unilateral cleft lip and palate.

Experimental and clinical findings indicate that unfavorable adaptations of normal structures occur in children with clefts. It is postulated that these deviations from normal development are reversible and can be corrected or prevented by properly designed treatment. On this basis, five hypotheses were formulated and tested on the data from the subjects included in this study. The subjects consisted of 1) 16 children without clefts, 2) eight children who had complete unilateral clefts of the lip and palate but who had not received orthodontic treatment, and 3) 16 children who had complete unilateral clefts of the lip and palate and who had been treated by the described orthodontic procedures. The mean age for each group was 16 years. It was concluded that orthodontic treatment can be designed to : 1) counteract the forces which inhibit development of the maxillary alveolar process horizontally and vertically, 2) partially prevent the reduction in the forward growth of the maxilla, 3) provide adequate jaw and dental arch relationships, and 4) establish and maintain correct position of the maxillary segments.