Interdisciplinary treatment for an adult with a unilateral cleft lip and palate

A young man, age 18 years 4 months, with a concave profile, a skeletal maxillary deficiency, and a severe alveolar cleft with an unesthetic appearance of the maxillary anterior teeth was referred for orthodontic treatment. After a detailed review of his pretreatment records, both surgical and nonsurgical treatment plans were presented to the patient, who opted for a nonsurgical interdisciplinary approach. His complex 3-dimensional malocclusion required palatal expansion, dental extractions, and periodontal and prosthodontic consultations and treatment, in addition to comprehensive orthodontic therapy. MBT (Xinya, HangZhou, China) 0.022 × 0.028-in appliances combined with a mini-implant to enhance the orthodontic anchorage were used to level, align, and establish a Class I relationship. After the orthodontic treatment, a combined restorative and periodontal approach was used to enhance the patient's esthetic and functional outcomes. Both the final result and the 1-year follow-up records demonstrate that the treatment goals of establishing proper occlusion, normal function, a balanced profile, better esthetics, and a stable outcome were achieved. The purpose of this case report is to demonstrate that an interdisciplinary treatment protocol can significantly improve the transverse discrepancies and achieve a satisfactory occlusion with a balanced profile in patients with cleft lip and palate.