Is Digital Maxillary Model Scanning Reliable in Individuals with Unilateral Cleft Lip and Palate?

Objective: To evaluate the measurements made on digital scans of maxillary plaster models in comparison with those obtained directly with a digital caliper on plaster models obtained from individuals with unilateral cleft lip and palate. Methods: This study included 42 unilateral cleft lip and palate cases and a control group of 43 Angle Class I cases. The research material consisted of maxillary orthodontic plaster models obtained from these individuals and three-dimensional digital models obtained by scanning these models with a 3 Shape Trios scanner. A total of 12 anatomic reference points were used and six transverse dimension parameters were measured. The differences between the two groups were examined with a Student's t-test. Intraclass correlation coefficients were calculated for repeatability and similarity evaluations. Results: Significant differences were found between the CLP and control groups for all parameters, with smaller values obtained in the CLP group. In the CLP group, when comparing the asymmetry of the right and left regions in the 3 Shape model, significant differences were observed regarding all parameters (p < 0.05); furthermore, there was a significant difference between the CLP and control groups (p < 0.05) in the asymmetry comparison. In both groups, there was no statistically significant difference in the measured parameters between the 3 Shape and digital caliper measurements. Conclusions: The measurements obtained after scanning plaster models from CLP individuals with the 3 Shape digital scanner are acceptable and reliable. It can be concluded that the transfer of CLP patients' archived plaster models to the digital environment is reliable regarding scientific research and clinical measurements.