[Surgical closure of cleft palate and its immediate effect on the maxillary development]

During the service life of the primary dentition, the direct effects of surgical closure of the palate on the size of the maxilla are unimportant for all types of clefts. Narrowings of more than 1 mm occurred only in the posterior region of the dental arch. Narrowings in the anterior region of the dental arch were observed to a small extent in patients with unilateral and bilateral clefts. There was no difference in the changes of the upper dental arch between one-stage and two-stage closures of the palate.