Pharyngeal characteristics of male patients with clefts in mixed dentition

Abstract

Objective To explore the pharyngeal characteristics of patients with clefts in mixed dentition.Methods Fifty-two male patients with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP) in mixed dentition and fifty-two controls were selected for the current study,cephalometric analysis were applied to measure the pharyngeal structures.Results The TB-TPPW and the V-LPW value were 10.44 mm±3.23 mm and 13.82 mm±2.82 mm respectively in the UCLP group while the TB-TPPW and the.V-LPW value were 13.78 mm±3.47 mm and 15.63 mm±2.79 mm respectively in the noncleft group,Significant differences were found in TB-TPPW and V-LPW between UCLP and control groups (P=0.00).The mandibular plane angle (MP-SN) of the UCLP group and the control were 39.78°±5.22° and 33.41°±4.35°,respectively.Significant differences were found in MP-FH between UCLP and control groups(P=0.00).There are no significant difference of the length of soft palate,the dimension of velopharyngeal and the need ratio between the two groups.Conclusions Compared with the non-cleft patients,the UCLP patients demonstrate many substantial characteristics of the patients with obstructive sleep apnea; Velopharyngeal incompetence is not only related to the length of soft palate and velopharyngeal width. Key words: Cleft lip and palate; Pharyngeal airway; Cephalometric analysis