Correction of maxillary deformity in infants with bilateral cleft lip and palate using computer-assisted design

Abstract

The aim of this study was to introduce a method of presurgical maxillary molding using computer-aided design and rapid prototyping in infants with bilateral cleft lip and palate. Seven infants (4 male and 3 female with overall mean age of 7 days) with bilateral cleft lip and palate were subjected to nasoalveolar molding (NAM) technique before the cleft lip repair. The upper denture casts were scanned by a 3-dimensional laser scanner. The digital geometric data were exported to print the solid model with rapid prototyping system. The NAM appliances were fabricated based on these solid models. The computer-aided design could simplify the NAM procedure and estimate the treatment objective. The appliances could be fabricated based on the rapid prototyping system. In infants with bilateral cleft lip and palate, the presurgical orthopedic treatment design and the appliance fabrication could be simplified with computer-aided reverse engineering and rapid prototyping technique.