Validation of a novel method for canine eruption assessment in unilateral cleft lip and palate patients

The aim of this study was to propose and validate a three-dimensional (3D) methodology for the assessment of canine eruption in patients born with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) following secondary alveolar bone graft (SABG).

A total of 10 patients (four females, six males; mean age: 8.8 years) with UCLP who underwent SABG were recruited. Pre- and 6-month post-operative cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) was acquired for all patients. Post-operative data was registered onto pre-operative data utilizing voxel-based registration. Following superimposition, a segmentation process was applied to segment maxillary canine on both cleft and non-cleft side. Thereafter, translational and rotational changes in canine position were assessed for both cleft and non-cleft side by two observers.

The intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) indicated excellent reliability (≥0.90) with inter and intra-observer error of less than 0.05 mm. The overall ICC was found to be high for assessing both translational and rotational changes. The mean absolute inter- and intra-observer difference for translational and rotational changes was found to be less than 1 mm and 3°.

The present method was found to be reliable proving to be clinically applicable for assessing maxillary canine eruption changes in both cleft and non-cleft bone.