Objective three-dimensional assessment of lip form in patients with repaired cleft lip

To measure and compare three-dimensional lip form in participants with a repaired cleft lip and noncleft control participants.

Retrospective study. Three-dimensional facial images of each participant were obtained.

The sample consisted of two groups: a repaired cleft lip group (n  =  57) and a noncleft "normal" group (n  =  28).

Thirty-four variables that described the features of each participant's lip form were extracted from the image data. A t test was used for each variable to test for significant differences between the groups, and a mathematical technique was used to categorize the lip forms in both groups.

Seventeen variables showed significant between-group differences. The differences were focused on the free edges of the upper and lower lip vermilion borders, upper and lower lip protrusion, and lip symmetry. Lip forms were described by seven categories. Participants with cleft lip were represented in all categories but fell mainly into two categories at one extreme. Noncleft participants were represented in five categories but also exclusively in two categories at the other extreme from participants with a repaired cleft lip. The findings show greater variation in lip form for the participants with a cleft lip.

Three-dimensional lip form in participants with a repaired cleft lip was found to have greater variation and to be significantly different from that in noncleft participants. This method can be used to assess surgical outcomes of lip form.