[The condition of the periodontium in patients with clefts]

41 patients with total clefts, having an average age of 14.6 years, were examined. In these patients, the bone index was determined by means of the radiographic method of Schei et al. (as modified by Engelberger, Rateitschat and Marthaler). Furthermore, the teeth were tested for mobility, and the gingival retraction and the pocket depth were measured. The degree of gingival inflammation was scored using the PMA index according to Mühlemann and Mazor. The findings from the cleft quadrants were compared to those from the non-cleft quadrants of the upper jaw and to those from the mandibular quadrants.