The effect of surgical correction on craniofacial growth in unilateral cleft lip and palate patients: A prospective study

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of surgical repair on craniofacial growth in patients with complete unilateral cleft lip and palate. Materials and Methods: Forty patients were taken and were divided into two groups: Group 1 consisted of 20 patients presenting with a nonsyndromic complete unilateral cleft lip and palate and Group 2 (control) consisted of 20 patients without any clefts. The lip closure was done by Millard's cleft lip repair technique. Palatal closure was performed by Bardach two-flap palatoplasty. Lateral cephalograms were traced and studied by the same operator. Composite cephalometric analysis was done to measure the various parameters of craniofacial growth. Results: Values of only lower facial height angle and nasion perpendicular to point A were found to be higher in patients with cleft lip and palate as compared to noncleft participants. The values of the rest of the variables were found to be higher in noncleft participants as compared to patients with cleft lip and palate. Differences were found to be statistically significant only for maxillary length (condylion–point A) (P = 0.027), mandibular length (condylion–gnathion) (P = 0.045), upper 1–point A (P = 0.001), lower 1–point A/pogonion (P = 0.039), and upper lip thickness (P = 0.001). Conclusions: Surgical repair of cleft lip and palate affects the growth of maxilla and mandible. There is a restraining effect on the basal part of the premaxilla, and it is influenced by cleft palate and lip repair.