Dental appearance, with focus on the anterior maxillary dentition, in young adults with bilateral cleft lip and palate (CLP). A follow up study.

摘要

Bilateral CLP interferes with both facial and dental development. Surgical and orthodontic treatments help in optimizing facial and dental appearance. In order to improve the quality of treatment one of the keys is to evaluate the physical outcome. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the longitudinal treatment results in young adults born with a bilateral CLP during 1975-1991 in the south-west region of Sweden. Records and casts (13, 16 and 19 years) were evaluated for 35 persons with total bilateral CLP:s. They all belonged to the CLP team of Gothenburg. Occlusion, congenitally missing laterals, peg shaped laterals, impacted canines, midline, implants, prosthetic treatment and maxillofacial surgery were among the recorded variables. Unilateral or bilateral missing laterals were common (40%) as were peg shaped laterals (40%). Six children had impacted canines. A good symmetry and a straight midline between jaws were found after treatment for 60% of the young adults. It was more common to have canines positioned in the region for a missing or extracted lateral compared to having the lateral replaced with an implant or other prosthetic treatment. Asymmetrical maxillary frontal appearance and an acceptable occlusion are not always achieved. Awareness of and effort to solve this problem are important in reducing factors that are likely to negatively affect the harmony of the face.