A cephalometric inter-centre comparison of growth in children with cleft lip and palate

AIM: To examine whether the treatment provided by the Mount Vernon Cleft Team produces craniofacial growth outcomes comparable with that of the Oslo Team. LOCATION: Mount Vernon Hospital, Middlesex, UK. DESIGN: A retrospective cephalometric investigation. SUBJECTS: Seventy-five Mount Vernon children and 150 Oslo children with complete unilateral or bilateral clefts of the lip and palate METHOD: The subjects were matched for age, gender, and cleft type, and their radiographs were digitized. The radiographs from each site were grouped according to patient age (9-11 or 14-16) and cleft classification (bilateral/unilateral). Patients with associated craniofacial anomalies were excluded from the study. RESULTS: Of the four variables studied (SNA, SNPg, NGn, sNANsPG) significant differences in maxillary growth were noted for bilateral and unilateral cleft groups at 14-16 years of age. The soft tissue profile was significantly flatter in bilateral and unilateral Mount Vernon cases at 14-16 years. The craniofacial growth exhibited by the Mount Vernon patients demonstrated 3.9-5.1 degrees reduction in maxillary prominence with respect to the Oslo sample. The bilateral cases from Mount Vernon had greater anterior face heights at 14-16 years. CONCLUSION: The treatment provided by the Mount Vernon Cleft team leads to a reduced maxillary prominence in children aged 14-16 years compared with the Oslo sample. This reduction is statistically significant in unilateral cleft lip and palate.