Development of permanent tooth length in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate

The aim of this study was to compare permanent tooth length development in children with complete unilateral clefts of the lip, alveolus, and palate (UCLP) with that of tooth length development in a normal reference population. From the data of the Cleft Palate Clinics of Amsterdam and Nymegen (The Netherlands), 350 orthopantomograms of 64 boys and 24 girls with complete UCLP were selected. The control data were taken from approximately 2000 orthopantomograms collected from 180 boys and 157 girls in the same age range. For canines, premolars, and molars in the mandible, and for canines and second premolars in the maxilla, three to six landmarks were digitized directly from the orthopantomograms. It was concluded that, for both boys and girls, development of permanent tooth length in children with complete UCLP is significantly delayed, compared with the normal reference population. This significant difference was found in the maxilla as well as in the mandible.