3D facial morphometry in children with oral clefts

Area of Science:

• Craniofacial morphology
• Pediatric plastic surgery
• 3D imaging analysis

Background:

• Cleft lip and palate (CLP) significantly impacts facial development.
• Understanding 3D facial morphology in children with CLP is crucial for treatment planning and outcomes.
• Previous studies often relied on 2D analysis, limiting detailed morphological characterization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize three-dimensional (3D) facial morphological variation in children with various types of cleft lip and palate (CLP).
• To compare the 3D facial morphology of CLP groups with an age- and sex-matched control group.
• To identify specific patterns of facial variation associated with different CLP subtypes.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional, case-controlled observational morphometric study.
• 3D stereophotogrammetry was used to scan 103 children (aged 8-12) with CLP and 80 controls.
• Thirty-nine facial landmarks were digitized to compute linear and angular measurements, analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance.

Main Results:

• Statistically significant differences (P < .05) in 3D facial morphometry were observed between all CLP groups and controls.
• The most substantial morphometric differences were found in groups with combined lip and palate involvement.
• Children with isolated cleft palate (ICP) exhibited facial morphology most similar to the control group.

Conclusions:

• Significant 3D soft-tissue facial differences exist in children with CLP compared to controls.
• These differences are most prominent in the nasolabial region, particularly in groups with lip involvement.
• Isolated cleft palate demonstrates less significant facial morphological deviation from controls.