[Bone age and maxillo-mandibular dysharmony in children with cleft lip and palate]

The clinical examination, the bone age and the palatine surgical trauma served to evaluate the factors producing maxillo-mandibular dysharmonies in cleft lip/palate patients. 55 patients with total unilateral cleft lip and palate aged from 10 months to 13 years were used for this study. By clinical examination the patients were divided in: group A--37 cases without dysharmonies and B--18 cases with dysharmonies. By the bone age examination: group N--39 cases with normal variations (+/- 1.99 SDS) or acceleration (+2.00 SDS) and group R--16 cases with retardation (-2.00 SDS). By the surgical trauma: group M--11 cases with multiples operations and K--44 cases as "control" group. The correlations between the three factors showed that for the prognosis of maxillo-mandibular dysharmonies are significant: 1. The surgical trauma--73% of the patients with multiples operations (group M) are also part of the group B (with dysharmonies), versus 23% for the "control" group K (p < 0.001). 2. The retardation of the bone age--50% of the patients of the B group have retarded bone age, versus 24% of the patients of the group A (p < 0.05). 56% of the patients of the group R (with retardation) are part of the group B, versus 23% of the group N (p < 0.02). The retardation of the bone age is a factor of risk for maxillo-mandibular dysharmonies in cleft lip/palate children, which means that in these cases, the treatment and the control should be more attentive, beginning as soon as possible.