Taurodontism in patients with nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate in a Brazilian population: a case control evaluation with panoramic radiographs

Objectives. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of taurodontism in patients with nonsyndromic cleft lip and palate (NSCLP) within a Brazilian population. Study Design. The study was designed as an epidemiologic case-control single-center study. Three hundred eighty-eight patients were included: 88 had NSCLP, and 300 comprised the control group. The first and second permanent mandibular molars were included in this study. By using panoramic radiographs, taurodontism was categorized as mesotaurodontism, hypotaurodontism, and hypertaurodontism. Results. Seventy patients (23.3%) from the control group and 36 patients (40.9%) from the case group presented taurodontism (P < .001). In the control group, 108 (9%) teeth showed taurodontism, whereas in the case group with cleft lip and palate (CLP), 64 (18.2%) teeth showed dental anomalies (P < .001). In both groups, most taurodontic teeth presented hypotaurodontism, followed by mesotaurodontism, while hypertaurodontism was found in only two teeth. The probability of taurodontism in patients with cleft lip (CL) was 2.36 (P = .010) times higher compared with those with CLP, whereas the occurrence of taurodontism in patients with cleft palate (CP) was 3.15 (P = .002) times greater than in patients with CLP. Conclusions. The results from this study indicate a close relationship between taurodontism and NSCLP and the possibility of different cleft subphenotypes.