An analysis of craniofacial form in cleft palate patients

Lateral cephalometric form was compared between age-sex matched cleft palate and normocephalic (control) samples aged 6-12 years. Analogous arrays of 3 cephalometric datum points were subjected to finite element analysis, a rigorous geometric technique. The results showed that normocephalic craniofacial size changes were greater than those of the cleft palate sample, although the degree of contrast varied depending upon the particular finite element included in the analysis. More complex lateral cephalometric shape changes were denoted by this technique, however, again depending upon the specific finite element included in the analysis. These data therefore suggested that the differences in craniofacial size and shape changes between normocephalic and cleft palate patients were far more complex than traditionally envisaged.