Orthodontic treatment in a patient with Van der Woude's syndrome

Van der Woude's syndrome (VDW; #OMIM 119300) is an autosomal dominant disease characterized by cleft lip and/or palate and lower lip pit (fistula). The precise skeletal characteristics are unclear, and there have been no case reports of orthodontic treatment of patients with VDW. The Japanese girl whose treatment is reported here had VDW, including bilateral cleft lip and palate and bilateral symmetric lower lip pits. Orthodontic treatment started when she was just 3 years old, with a removable maxillary expansion appliance, followed by an edgewise multibracket appliance in both arches. Retention began at 11 years of age, and a secondary bone graft was performed for the alveolar cleft. She received prosthetic treatment and achieved a desirable occlusion at 18 years of age. Early intervention helped achieve a satisfactory treatment result for our patient. In contrast, her mother also had VDW, with a severe Class III skeletal pattern, but she had not been treated orthodontically; she had an anterior and lateral crossbite even after prosthetic treatment. The pretreatment characteristics of 4 other subjects with VDW are discussed; they show wide variations in the sizes of the maxilla and the mandible, suggesting that a common skeletal pattern is not generally seen in VDW.