Dento-skeletal characteristics of cleft patients with missing teeth

Abstract

Waeil Batwa,1 Hala A Almarhoon,2 Khalid A Almoammar,2 Nasser Alqahtani,2 Sahar F Albarakati,2 Thikriat Al-Jewair3 1Department of Orthodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia; 2Department of Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics, College of Dentistry, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; 3Advanced Education Program in Orthodontics and Dentofacial Orthopedics, UMKC School of Dentistry, Kansas City, MO, USA Objective: The objective of this study was to compare the cephalometric skeletal and dental characteristics of unilateral complete cleft lip and palate (UCCLP) subjects with and without missing teeth.Design: A retrospective records review was conducted for patients who are being treated at the cleft lip and palate (CLP) clinics in the College of Dentistry.Methods: Ninety-six consecutive records of non-syndromic UCCLP subjects were recruited (33 subjects without missing teeth, 50 subjects with only one missing tooth, and 13 subjects with two or more missing teeth). Skeletal and dental characteristics were assessed using lateral cephalometric radiographs in UCCLP subjects with missing teeth and compared to the group with no missing teeth. A total of 25 linear and angular measurements were analyzed and compared between the sample groups.Results: Of the dental variables tested, overjet was significantly different between the three groups. The UCCLP subjects with multiple missing teeth had the smallest overjet (–3.89±2.75 mm; P=0.015) among the three groups. None of the skeletal characteristics reached statistical significance.Conclusion: Missing teeth influence the dental but not skeletal characteristics of UCCLP. Overjet is significantly reduced in UCCLP subjects with multiple missing teeth. Future studies with larger sample sizes are warranted. Keywords: missing teeth, cleft lip, cleft palate, hypodontia

Keywords

• missing teeth
• cleft lip
• cleft palate