[Orthopedic aspects of orthodontic treatment of patients with labio-palatine clefts]

: Cleft lip and palate patients often show a distorted facial growth which can be orthodontically treated by means of "growth guidance". The treatment can be applied during three different phases of the dental development. First phase is immediately after birth where the growth of the alveolar segments are aligned together in order to facilitate the closure of lip and palate. Subsequently, a protraction of the upper jaw is carried out during the first transitional stage; As a result of this, the permanent incisors can erupt in a good sagittal relation. Finally, a transversal expansion of the upper jaw can be applied which is mostly done before alveolar bone grafting. The timing of the grafting procedure depends on the eruption of the upper permanent canine at the cleft side.