Abstract
We examined 50 unilateral cleft lip and palate patients among many others who underwent plastic surgery at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, School of Dentistry, Aichi-Gakuin University. The time course of the dental arch was observed and the following results were obtained.1. Before operation, the width of the alveolar arch was larger than control, but the sagittal length was smaller than control. The larger width may reflect apparent broadening of the jaw due to the presence of a cleft, and the smaller sagittal length may be caused by congenital malformation of the jaw.2. Soon after plastic surgery for cleft lip and palate, both the width and sagittal length of the alveolar arch rapidly decreased. The effect of cleft palate plasty on narrowing the width of the alveolar arch was more marked than that of cleft lip plasty.3. Retarded jaw development after cleft palate operation persisted, even in patients undergoing surgery at the age of 3 years.4. To improve jaw growth after cleft palate surgery, appropriate pre- and post-operative patient management and better operative techniques are necessary.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
