Maxillary and mandibular dental-arch dimensions and occlusion in bilateral cleft lip and palate patients form 3 to 17 years of age.

The aim of this study was to describe maxillary and mandibular dental-arch form and occlusion in bilateral cleft of the lip and palate (BCLP) from 3 to 17 years of age and to compare their characteristics with a normative sample. A sample of 22 patients with BCLP was investigated, with a noncleft control sample used for comparison. Dental-arch dimensions were studied on dental casts. A comparison between both groups was made at fixed time intervals. From 9 years of age, the cleft sample showed a significantly smaller maxillary depth. Maxillary dental-arch widths were also significantly smaller than in the control group over the whole age period. Mandibular dental-arch measurements were very similar in both groups, although smaller first-molar widths were noted in the BCLP group beginning at 12 years of age. A tendency for end-to-end occlusion was found, which became more clear with age and was most markedly in the canine region.