The Soft-Tissue Facial Profile of Patients with Unilateral Clefts of the Lip, Alveolus, and Palate Compared with Healthy Adults

Abstract

In this study the soft-tissue profile of 84 patients aged between 16 and 29 years after complete rehabilitation of a unilateral cleft of the lip, alveolus, and palate was compared on lateral cephalograms with that of 58 adult probands with no cleft formation. In the patient group, the thickness at nasion, the subnasal thickness, the upper alveolabial sulcus thickness, the upper lip prominence, and the mental thickness were less pronounced than in the control group. In contrast, the patients showed significantly higher values in the prominence and thickness of the lower lip. These results indicate a less dominant development of the upper lip and a more voluminous lower lip in comparison to the control group. In contrast, the length of the upper lip did not differ significantly between patients and controls. In both groups the facial integument was thicker in males than in females. The soft-tissue anb-angle, the soft-tissue Holdaway II angle, and the nasolabial angle were significantly smaller in the patients than in the controls. Furthermore, the patients showed a distinctly more concave soft-tissue profile than the controls in measurements of the soft-tissue convexity angle. Thus, it is important for all surgeons involved in the rehabilitation of these patients to pay attention not only to an adequate length of the cleft-sided upper lip, but also to attaining a physiological alignment and reconstruction of the muscles, since the orbicularis oris muscle represents the most important component in the form and function of the lip. In addition, discontinuous muscular slings in the facial area may lead to severe midface growth disturbances.