THREE-DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS OF PALATE MORPHOLOGY IN UNILATERAL CLEFT LIP AND PALATE CHILDREN

Abstract Object: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of the orthopedic treatment (performed either by using active or passive plates) and the subsequent surgical treatment on the palatal size and shape of dental casts of patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP). Material and methods: 96 palatal cast models, obtained from 32 neonatal patients with UCLP, attending the Fundacion Clinica Noel de Medellin (Colombia) were analyzed using a 3D stereophotogrammetric system in three different time points: before the orthopedic treatment, before and after cheiloplasty. Half of the patients were treated with a passive plate, while the other patients received an active plate. The areas and volumes of the greater and minor segments were obtained using a new measurement protocol. Method repeatability both within and between operators was evaluated using the Paired Student’s t-test and the technical error of measurement (TEM). Area and volume measurements were compared with a three-way repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine differences between plates, alveolar segments and time. Results: No systematic measurement errors were found for both inter-operator and intra-operator’s tracings (p>0.05; TEM<0.32 cm2). No differences were found for the kind of plates (active or passive). Significant differences were found in alveolar segment and time in both area and volume (p<0.01). Conclusions: We showed that area and volume measurement by the 3D stereophotogrammetric system was a repeatable and reliable method of evaluating the stone casts of patients with UCLP. Data obtained were helpful to quantify changes occurring in maxillary arches of UCLP patients after orthopedic and surgical treatments. However, further investigation is needed to especially evaluate the effects of plates, increasing the number of additional time points and expanding the number of patients.