Digital impressions from newborns to preschoolers with cleft lip and palate: A two-centers experience

Documenting cleft lip and palate morphology prior to surgery is standard care. Presurgical orthopedic treatment also requires a 3D cleft model. Endangering the airway, conventional impressions require additional safety measures and resources. We investigate the implementation and risks of digital impressions for the youngest patients with orofacial clefts.

We report a retrospective cohort study of patients with cleft lip and palate, aged up to 6 years, treated at two cleft centers in Europe (Basel (A), Warsaw (B)). We scanned with the Medit i500 (Medit Corp, Seoul, South Korea). Center A for presurgical orthopedics and prior surgery from June 2020 to March 2022. Center B prior surgery from December 2020 to May 2021. Scanning data were analyzed for adverse events and adverse device effects, scanning duration, and number of images according to cleft type and age.

We analyzed 342 digital impressions in 190 patients (center A: 71, B: 119). The median age was 8.7 months with a range from the first day of birth (presurgical orthopedics) to six years of life (early alveolar bone grafting). No adverse events or adverse device effects were observed. The median scan duration was 85.5 s for cleft palate and 50 s for cleft lip and nose (IQR 56 s and 39 s, respectively).

Digital impressions with intraoral scanners are safe in patients with cleft lip and palate from newborn to preschool age. Given the funding to purchase an intraoral scanner, interfaces to electronic patient records, and point-of-care 3D printing, cleft centers can successfully implement this technology.