Long-term effects of palate repair on craniofacial morphology in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate

Objective: To identify the long-term effects of palate repair on craniofacial growth in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP). Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study. Design: Retrospective cross-sectional study. Setting: Sri Lankan Cleft Lip and Palate Project. Subjects: Forty-eight adults with nonsyndromic unilateral cleft lip and palate, 29 men and 19 women, had lip repair only (LRO group). Fifty-eight adults with nonsyndromic unilateral cleft lip and palate, 35 men and 23 women, had lip and palate repairs by the age of 9 (LPR group). Main Outcome Measures: Clinical notes were used to record surgical treatment histories. Cephalometry was used to determine craniofacial morphology. Results: In the lip and palate repair group, the depth of the bony pharynx (Ba-PMP), the maxillary length at the alveolar level (PMP-A), the effective length of the maxilia (Ar-IZ, Ar-ANS, Ar-A), the maxillary protrusion (S-N-ANS, SNA), the anteroposterior jaw relation (ANS-N-Pog, ANB), and the overjet were smaller than in the lip repair only group. There were no significant differences in the maxillary length at the basal level (PMP-IZ, PMP-ANS) and the anterior and posterior maxillary heights (N-ANS and R-PMP, respectively) in the two groups. Conclusion: Palate repair inhibits the forward displacement of the basal maxilia and anteroposterior development of the maxillary dentoalveolus in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate. Palate repair has no detrimental effects on the downward displacement of the basal maxilia or on palatal remodeling in patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate.