The effects of palatoplasty and pre-surgical infant orthopedic treatment on occlusion in unilateral cleft lip and palate patients

• Published in: Orthodontic waves (English ed.) Vol. 73; no. 4; pp. 114 - 120
• Main Authors: Koshikawa-Matsuno, Mino, Kajii, Takashi S., Alam, Mohammad Khursheed, Sugawara-Kato, Yuki, Iida, Junichiro
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01-12-2014; Taylor & Francis
• Subjects: Dental arch relationship; Hotz plate; Model analysis; Palatoplasty; Palatoplasty; Model analysis; Dental arch relationship; Hotz plate
• ISSN: 1344-0241; 1878-1837
• DOI: 10.1016/j.odw.2014.06.006

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of pre-surgical infant orthopedic treatment (Hotz plate) and type of palatoplasty on the dental arch relationship and the dental arch morphology of unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) patients.
Seventy-four children with UCLP were divided into three groups. One group had undergone one-stage palatoplasty without Hotz plate (OSP w/o H), the second had undergone one-stage palatoplasty with Hotz plate (OSP w/H), and the third had undergone two-stage palatoplasty with Hotz plate (TSP w/H). We evaluated the dental models which were taken during initial examination at our orthodontic clinic, using the Goslon Yardstick, the 5-year-old index, and dental model analysis.
Regarding both indices, there were no significant differences among the three groups. However, the dental arch width between maxillary deciduous canines in OSP w/H and TSP w/H was significantly greater than that of OSP w/o H. The dental arch width at the maxillary deciduous second molars in TSP w/H was significantly greater than in OSP w/H and OSP w/o H.
Dental arch relationship in UCLP patients was not influenced by the type of palatoplasty and the use of pre-surgical infant orthopedic treatment. Our results suggest that pre-surgical infant orthopedic treatment results in the increase of anterior dental width, whereas two-stage palatoplasty is significantly effective for increasing posterior dental width in UCLP patients.